Well, friends, the July date scheduled for the historic J. B. Thomas Middle School building's demolition is rapidly approaching. However, FOTOS (Friends of the Old School) will not be deterred and we continue to work hard to convince the School Board to participate in a constructive dialog with the community regarding alternatives to the teardown.

Sadly, though, the School Board—which has been unwilling to discuss this matter with the community from the very beginning—still refuses to engage in conversation or to consider any options for the Old School other than its original, inflexible plan to destroy it. They also will not allow a feasibility study (for which, the School District need not pay a penny) and they don't even heed the advice of their own consultants who reported that “J.B.” is structurally sound and suitable for being repurposed to a new, non-school use. And yet we persevere, ever optimistic that—if enough people make their views known—the School Board may come around.

Now you've heard the bad news. The good news is, over recent months, sentiment within the greater region to save the historic building appears to be growing. Here's a quick recap of the preservation effort, thus far:

• In the spring of 2007, the City of Hillsboro proposed to pay for a feasibility study to explore adapting the Old School for another public use (to date, officials at the City support the idea of preserving the building). The School Board declined the offer.
• FOTOS members and supporters have collected over 1,000 signatures on a petition asking the School Board to allow a feasibility study and a serious dialog to be conducted before the building is lost forever.
• The Hillsboro Argus has featured op-ed pieces in favor of the Old School's preservation, written by prominent community members such as Argus publisher emeritus Walter McKinney, well-known local contractor Eugene Zurbrugg and former mayor Tom Hughes.
• FOTOS has spoken with the School District's community relations director and has also repeatedly attempted to open a dialog with its (now former) superintendent, Dr. Jeremy Lyon, and other school district representatives.
• Many letters to the editor have been (and continue to be) printed in the Argus, from community members asking for the Old School to be saved.
• FOTOS members and supporters spoke at six regular School Board meetings in '08 and at every meeting since February of '09.
• FOTOS members have spoken before the Hillsboro City Council on three separate occasions.
• City of Hillsboro officials attempted to revisit the idea of preserving the Old School during the annual City-School District joint work session in late 2008. The effort resulted in what the local media dubbed “a stalemate.”
• The president of FOTOS was interviewed on Hillsboro radio station KUIK.
• Former mayor Tom Hughes testified before the School Board.
• On March 24, 2009, FOTOS sent a letter to Carolyn Ortman, School Board Chair, requesting a three-way meeting with the School Board and the City of Hillsboro. The request was denied.

And, amid it all, the roster of FOTOS members has been growing, too. Slowly but surely, an increasing number of Hillsboro School District residents are evidently starting to think, “We, the taxpayers, paid to build the Old School and to support it for the last 81 years. Why throw away all that stored up value by swinging a wrecking ball through a perfectly good building?”

If saved, this sturdy structure—just two blocks from either a MAX light rail station or Hillsboro's revitalized downtown district—has the versatility to be adapted to any number of potential uses while, at the same time, being preserved as an Art Deco landmark and important piece of county history. Right now, for example, we could be transforming the most architecturally significant portion of the 1928-1929 building (including its 1,200-seat auditorium) into a great cultural arts and community center—another star in the region's desired constellation of public arts and performance facilities begun with the Walters Cultural Arts Center in 2004. All for the cost of a remodel (and while freeing enough space for playing fields at Lincoln Street Elementary, too!).

The preceding paragraph is FOTOS' vision. It is one very real possibility for the Old School's future. If it's granted a future. Furthermore, FOTOS believes it can find the funding to make this vision into reality. In light of this opportunity, don't you agree that the School Board should postpone the J. B. Thomas building's demolition long enough for an earnest dialog and some deliberation?

Best Regards,
FOTOS Board of Directors

FOTOS Newsletters May 2009  (Adobe Acrobat PDF format) April 2009  (Microsoft Word Document format) March 2009  (Microsoft Word Document format) February 2009  (Microsoft Word Document format) January 2009  (Microsoft Word Document format) October 2008  (Microsoft Word Document format) July 2008  (Microsoft Word Document format)