SCENE Fall Issue 3
THE
November 12, 2021
THESCENEFP.COM
THE
www.thescenefp.com
Trunk or Treat See pages 4-5
Class can be a grind See page 8
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
College weighs more demolition, construction By Theodore Geigle The Scene staff Chancellor Jeff Pittman has revealed some of the massive changes that officials are considering for St. Louis Community College campuses, including Forest Park. A College Transformation Steering Committee has been meeting and brainstorming ideas for demolitions, renovations and construction of new buildings, Pittman told STLCC Board of Trustees members at their Oct. 21 meeting. “We’re kind of limited with demo at Forest Park because there is this entity called the Cultural Preservation Board that really is in love with the design of Forest Park, and we learned all about that when we tried to take down (A and B towers). But we got it done. “The hospitality management center, which is where culinary arts is located, is not part of the original Harry Weese design, and that one’s kind of a sitting duck to take down. Also, we have buildings we really shouldn’t keep (and that we should) sell or do something with, like the Art Annex
View the video of the Board Watch the video of Trustees meeting at at www.thescenefp.com bit.ly/30gwkaY building ... and the Highland Park building.” Weese was a well-known, Chicago-based architect who designed the Forest Park campus with his brother, Ben. They specialized in 20th century modernism and promoted historic preservation. College transformation efforts are the result of Proposition R, which STLCC district voters approved in the April election. It will increase property taxes to allow for a $350 million bond issue to upgrade and modernize facilities. “(The list of potential projects) aren’t complete,” Pittman said at the board meeting. “This is just kind of the start. But you’ll start to get the impression of things that we’re doing.” Pittman devoted a section of his
See Demolition page 2
“We’re kind of limited with demo at Forest Park because there is this entity called the Cultural Preservation Board that really is in love with the design at Forest Park.” – ChancellorJeff Pittman
Photo by Andrew Quinn
STLCC is considering construction of a new building south of the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences, right, which would require the “Light Walls” sculpture, left, to be relocated.
Photo by Andrew Quinn
The cafeteria elevator, at right, has been shut down since September, when it stopped working with a housekeeping employee in it.
Elevator closed after two workers stranded By Nicole DeLapp The Scene staff It could have been anyone. But Forest Park housekeeper Michael Rice was the person in the cafeteria elevator when it decided to stop working in September. “I was trying to get off the elevator, and I pushed the buttons, but (the lights) didn’t come on,” Rice recalls. “That’s when I realized I was stuck.” Luckily, Rice had a radio, which he used to call his supervisor. Then he waited about 30 minutes with his cartful of cleaning supplies. “I was a little scared,” he said. Ultimately, a team of five St. Louis firefighters got the elevator door opened and rescued him. As it turns out, Rice was the second person to get stranded in the elevator, according to Ramon Cusi, facilities manager. The first was one of his employees. The elevator has been closed ever since. “I have to alleviate hazardous conditions,” Cusi said. It’s unknown when the elevator will be repaired. It will depend on the budget, Cusi said. Rice has been a housekeeping employee for 13 years. He never imagined that an elevator could be an occupational hazard. The cafeteria elevator takes people up to the first floor of the Student Center, where the information desk, admissions office and Campus Life are located. The age of the elevator is unknown, but the Forest Park campus was built in the 1960s, and it was equipped with elevators. “It’s still out of service,” Rice said of the cafeteria elevator. “It needs to be remodeled. It’s an old elevator, and it really needs an update.” An “Out of Order” sign now is taped to the door of the elevator, along with directions to an alternative near the Hospitality Studies building. Elevators have been a sore subject at Forest Park for years. Many are slow, and
“I have to alleviate hazardous conditions.” – Ramon Cusi, Forest Park facilities manager
they’re often in need of repair. Elevators are particularly important for students, faculty and staff with disabilities and those who use wheelchairs. Charles Jones, an employee in the Access Office, which serves students with special needs, said no one has formally complained about the cafeteria elevator not working. “If someone were to file a complaint with us, we would definitely look into that,” he said.
Photo by Nicole DeLapp
An out-of-order notice advises that the nearest elevator is at the east entrance of the Hospitality Studies Center.