It has become more difficult, Johnson concedes. We're in a critical time now, because we've had three emergencies in the past six years, all related to structural deficiencies in our buildings. Eastgate Elementary School serves as an example to teachers, community and district level staff of how a cooperative, student-oriented effort will pay off. As a result, we saved money, we disrupted the school only once, and we were able to do some incredibly creative things from a systems point of view, as well as this classroom configuration. Unfortunately, that wall was the site of a massive tile mural created by students in the 1950s, when the school and surrounding community were new.
People come back and visit it.
It's something the community values. When word of the seismic improvements came out, the staff asked about the mural, Daunne Zinger, capital projects manager, says. Through the project's collaborative process, and the kids, we decided to move it inside to a corridor wall across from the library, where it's still very visible. Once he saw the wall, however, he realized he didn't have enough in his bid to cover the move. School officials realized they were going to have to convince the mover of the mural's significance.