Rains Find Way Into School Board Offices

Rats, dead pigeons, fleas and water pouring down from the ceiling -- employees at the Hartford Board of Education's decrepit offices on High Street have seen a lot over the years.

So the latest episode of water pouring into finance department and special education offices over the weekend hardly comes as a surprise. But employees at the board reacted with frustration at this latest example of why the 100-year-old building needs to be replaced.

``One of the drainpipes was clogged up and the water had no place to go,'' said William Tarinelli of Johnson Controls, the subcontractor that oversees buildings and grounds for the school system.

Where it went was directly into special education coordinator Brian Morin's office -- ruining records and equipment.

``It came in through the roof, the air-conditioning duct, through the walls,'' said Morin. ``I am trying to salvage things.''

``It is just a horrible situation. To have people work in this kind of conditions. It is just ridiculous,'' he said, an opinion that many who work in the building share.

Despite plenty of discussion in recent years about moving the board offices to a new location, nothing has happened. Education Alternatives Inc. and Johnson Controls provided a detailed study of what it would take to move to a floor at the former G. Fox building. The cost to move would be about $1 million.

But the board hasn't had that kind of money to spend on classroom supplies or hiring teachers, let alone on new offices. And the city, which hopes to sell the old G. Fox building, wasn't interested in giving up a floor to the school board. Officials now say they are discussing other locations.

``We are clearly recognizing the need to look at other sites,'' said board member Elizabeth Brad Noel, who also said there is no money to pay for either renovating an old building or building a new one -- which means the board would have to look to the city council for the money.

Supporters say the G. Fox building -- which the city will soon market at an exposition in Las Vegas -- would have been perfect for the board because of its downtown location and ample parking, and because it would have required no rewiring.

Pat Williams, a deputy city manager, said city hall is still working with the board to find new quarters. ``Right now, they don't have a place to go,'' she said.

Regularly, employees at the building find water running in from the leaky roof. Piles of dead pigeons were found in the attic last year when it was cleaned. Rats and mice are not uncommon and employees complain of bugs at times. Nevertheless, the dirty, crumbling building often serves as the formal meeting site for the school system, where new visitors, educators, parents and national and local media representatives often go.

The board offices also stand in striking contrast to city hall, which was recently restored and stands grandly on Main Street, its brass polished and ceilings freshly painted.

Board President Thelma Dickerson called the situation ``intolerable.''

``We know that that place is falling apart. It is a very dangerous situation. We just aren't prioritizing. It is a question of how the administration and the board sets priorities,'' she said.