Mayor Riley states in the documentary the "Corridor of Shame" that students living in rural areas are not as fortunate as those living in rich cities such as Charleston. Yet, time and time again, we witness our own "Corridor of Shame" right here in our rich city. Stoney Field should never have gotten to the state it's in. What happened? Is it racial discrimination? James Johnson stated in yesterday's Post and Courier that "It only happens in black schools." Or is it simply red tape...with the city and the school district fighting over who should be responsible for the renovations?
Either way, the stadium should have been maintained and that is clearly not the case. The pictures in yesterday's paper said it all. Who can sit on those bleachers? And clearly the faucets aren't functioning in the home team's locker room. We as a community should be outraged. This is OUR only high school on the peninsula.
Bill Lewis states, "We definitley have Stoney Field on our requirements list, along with stadiums in other constituent districts. Our objective is to bundle these all together so they are treated similarly." So what are you saying, Mr. Lewis? Are you saying other stadiums are worse off than Stoney Field? Give me a break. Where's Mark Cobb, Mr. Lewis? Why do we have to turn to the media anytime we need something? Why can't you MAINTAIN our schools and their facilities? I challenge Mayor Riley, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Cobb to go check out the concession stand this week. But don't eat before you visit...you may just lose your lunch.
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Do you see a pattern here? Minority schools and their facilities get last consideration. CCSD (and anything the city shares with them) always end up short on the peninsula. All bad business deals that in some cases allowed an outsider group to step in and make a really good deal for themselves, usually at the taxpayer's expense. Can we start with Memminger Auditorium that sat empty and unused for 18 years. (Now the city and Spoleto have a sweet deal that leaves Memminger School on the outside looking in.) Then we might consider the fire sale prices that allowed CCSD to liquidate 3 downtown high schools for a song to the current owners: C.A.Brown that the a private college bought to be their campus only to have the state later take over for virtually no cost. (Did anyone think to negotiate a free tuition deal for downtown tech students?) Then there was Charleston High which all but was allowed to fall into itself. Now its shell (and its motto) form the identity for MUSC's College of Health Professions. (Is there a cooperative deal for pre-med training at Burke? How many tens of millions would CCSD have saved if this had become the AMHS before the building was allowed to go to ruin?) Finally, there was Murray Vocational High School on Chisolm Street (another potential AMHS site) that CCSD abandoned. With Ashley River views and a stone's throw from Murray Blvd. a/k/a 'the Battery, CCSD sold it to a condo developer for little more than two million. (What a deal! But not for CCSD or our downtown schools.) Now 3 Chisolm houses 25 or so luxury condos and brought a handsome profit to the developers from Atlanta. But AMHS still occupies a former jail in North Charleston and awaits Bill Lewis for their $85million shared and fortified campus to be located in the middle of nowhere in 2010 or 2011.
Stoney Field once was a top of the line home of four downtown high school teams. Now it isn't fit for even one. The landlord (the city) and the tenant (CCSD) are both at fault for squandering this public asset. What a waste of both the public trust and the safety of our children. This facility could be a gem but its management is a disgrace.
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