What are they hiding?
"Howe said that this was the first time in his 30-plus years at The Citizen that the paper had been kept away from the site of a major news story for so long."
And THAT is the big story at the moment involving the flood damage at the new Gilford Middle School. As reported by the Citizen in both news stories and a blog posting by Citizen Editor and General Manager John Howe, the news media has been banned from being able to view the interior of the building and the damage caused by last weekend's pipe failure. This is noteworthy for several reasons, number one of which is the question posed in the headline of this post--
WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?
After all, what is the big deal of letting the local newspapers get a glimpse of both the damages and the no-doubt good work being conducted by the contractors doing the cleanup? Why would the administration and school board endure such negative publicity over a simple accident?
Or was it an accident? Here are my questions:
Was there any foul play involved-- either involving students, or employees? Is there a way to keep track of who comes and goes and when?
What kind of pipe broke, anyway? Was it a supply pipe, or a sprinkler system pipe-- you know, what they want to force into new home and biz building construction with the onorous new fire code they're pushing in next week's vote? (Article 8-- VOTE NO!!!!) And how could tens of thousands of gallons of water get unleashed without some sort of alarm activation?
How DID the pipe break? Was it frozen? Did it get banged? Was crap being stored in a manner that could damage piping? (A look through the windows visible from the outside facing the sports fields has long revealed piles of junk, paper, and other unsightly bric-a-brac.) Could something have fallen over? Was shoddy workmanship involved? Pipes don't normally just break.
What is the normal security and inspection process for this facility? Given it's the most valuable piece of real estate the Town owns, and that it is supposed to serve as a public shelter in the event of emergencies, shouldn't regular rounds be performed?
Why were the computers ON THE FLOOR? And, as reported by the media, CARPETED FLOORS at that. As a member of the committee that came up with the plan for the renovation/construction of this facility, I distinctly recall the major dust-up we had over carpeting in computer labs. Why are these particular rooms carpeted? So the Technology coordinator can wear her flip-flops? According to my son, who attends Bishop Brady, the computers in their labs are all suspended below the workdesks, providing for safety from flooding above, or water on the floor. Probably they care more about their stuff there than we do at our government school-- after all, Gilford purchases sh*tloads of computers year after year with little argument. Why take care of 'em when we'll always get more?
John Howe, writing in his blog is dead-on regarding this issue:
we were denied access to the building, and have been forced to shoot pictures only on the outside. I contacted the Superintendent of Schools personally, and was told we are not entitled to gain access at this time. He said there would be a press conference on Friday.
This does not settle well with the newspaper because we believe the public has a right to know and a right to see what it looks like now, not after it has been cleaned up.
There may be initial concerns about safety, but after three days, that can't possibly be the problem any more. Having been at reporting for 30 years, I've never seen anything like this. Our motivation is to help voters know what is happening in their community.
Indeed. keep up the good work, John. Inquiring minds want to know. After all, it's OUR building that we are PAYING for. We have a right to know...
