Sandstone tablets will be moved to new Geneva school

By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

March 20, 2008 10:08 pm

— GENEVA — Sturdy, dirty but treasured, the four sandstone tablets above the doors of Geneva Elementary may be saved, restored and reused at the new Geneva-Platt R. Spencer Elementary School to be constructed on Austin Road.
“I have received several calls from people asking what features of the old schools will be incorporated into the new schools,” Superintendent Ronald Donatone said in Wednesday’s regular school board meeting. “Some of these things, like trophies and plaques, are easy to move, but others may take some further consideration.”
The two large sandstone and mortar tablets over the doors will cost $8,100 to remove, transport, repair, clean, seal and incorporate into the new school. Tablets located closer to the roofline — some 30 feet up — will cost $9,250 to preserve, according to estimates by VIP Restoration of Cleveland.
The company also notes in the estimate that the tablets, or the trim around the tablets, could become damaged in the move, as could some surrounding brick on the building “though every attempt will be made to mitigate damage.”
Officials aren’t sure where the tablets would be placed, and both interior and exterior locations will be considered, Donatone said.
“We could also use just one or two of the pieces, if we wanted,” he said.
Board member Ed Brashear suggested the board have the same consideration for Spencer, Cork and Austinburg schools, which may have their own historical markers.
“We did this with the library when it was built,“ board member Ford Behm said.
In other news, the board approved the district’s open enrollment policy, noting that the district accepts applications only during the month of May. There are space limits for open enrollment at the junior high and high schools, and applications are subject to acceptance. Transportation for open-enrollment students is provided by parents.