A deep dive into Riverside’s facility issues
By: Taliyah Cooper, Lana Mcllvaine & Emmett Flynn
When English and Yearbook teacher Erin Roth walked into her room before the start of the school year, she wasn’t expecting anything special. But she also wasn’t expecting a strange smell and mold.
“It was musty and really foul smelling,” said Roth. “The ceiling tiles over by the wall were covered in red, green and black mold. In addition to the ceiling tiles, there were two teacher chairs that were covered in mold, and a portable card that also had mold on it.”
It’s not uncommon for classrooms to need maintenance, but this felt different.
“We always have ceiling tiles that go funky every year,” said Roth. “But these just seemed way worse.”
Not only did it smell disgusting, but it was a health hazard as well. Black mold commonly worsens asthma and causes eye irritation, coughing and sneezing.
“I broke out in hives after being in the room for 40 minutes,” said Roth. “I got a doctor’s note the first week back at school that said I could not be in an environment that has that kind of contamination. I’ve been asthmatic since I was seven and it has been well controlled, but I don’t need to provoke it.”
Some of Roth’s students said that lack of consistency of room location led to more tardies and confusion.
With the declining condition of Riverside’s building and the construction of Northern’s new building, it feels like the district should begin to look into new building plans for Riverside. Other older schools still maintain a priority for funding, but those projects will eventually be completed. Riverside will not stand forever, but how much longer it will last?
Roth is not the only person at Riverside who’s facing issues with the building.
During interviews with The Pirates’ Hook throughout the fall semester, students and teachers alike shared a variety of concerns.
One of the most prominent issues is the damaged heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units throughout the school. The HVAC unit affects temperature, humidity and air circulation. It’s an important factor in air quality; without it, pollutants, allergens, bacteria and mold can run rampant.
A proper system can even improve productivity in work environments. HVAC systems that do not remove carbon dioxide from the air fast enough displace the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, causing a decrease in productivity, drowsiness and headaches.
According to Conditioned Air INC, an HVAC unit like Riverside’s can last 15 to 25 years and can range in price from $5,000 to $34,000. Riverside’s models include units from Bard Manufacturing.
AP US history and economics teacher Anna Allman has faced issues with ventilation and temperature due to a faulty HVAC unit in trailer seven.
“My classroom was no longer appropriately cooling, so the air was moving but it was not actually as cool as it needed to be,” said Allman. “A few weeks after that, they put in a new thermostat. But, it made things worse because the air wouldn’t circulate and was just stifling. As we got into October, it became cold. I walked in one morning and tried to turn the heat on and that wouldn’t turn on, either.”
“I didn’t like [moving to different classes every day] because it made things confusing,” said junior Lila Phillips, a student in Allman’s class. “Loud, annoying noises, and the temperature in here always being really weird made it difficult to concentrate in class,” said Phillips.
Because the environment was not suitable for learning, Allman moved from classroom to classroom every day.
“I would go to someone who had second period planning with my second period kids…and then I would go somewhere else with third and somewhere else with fourth, trying to find a room that had enough seats for all of us and was at least somewhat comfortable for us to be in,” said Allman.
Allman’s trailer is not the only one with HVAC issues. Trailers one, two and twenty-one in addition to various indoor classrooms have all faced the same issue.
“I do have a lot of frustration, but I also have a lot of sympathy,” said Allman. “It’s not like Mr. Bradshaw can come down and fix these things. It’s not like I have the expertise to fix these things.
“Is it that the company we’re working with won’t come out here fast enough? Is it someone else downtown who won’t submit one order form? I don’t know what the hold up is and so that is deeply frustrating for me.”
Riverside assistant principal Darryl Bradshaw is in charge of handling facilities-related maintenance requests and work orders. Most of the work and repair is handled by the district. Bradshaw did not respond to requests to comment.
Less than five miles from Riverside, a brand new Northern High School opened in September.
The original Northern was built in 1955 and received a new building for the 2023-2024 school year. The construction for the new building and campus was funded by a $96 million bond. Features of the building include an open cafeteria space (atrium-style), a large media center, large teaching spaces and spaces for various activities.
Durham Public Schools also have a plan in place to replace Durham School of the Arts (DSA) by 2026. DSA’s current building, which was originally Durham High School, was built in 1906.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, most schools are abandoned after 60 years. Between 20 to 30 years, equipment should be replaced and between 30 to 40 years, roofing and electrical equipment should be replaced. Riverside was built in 1991, and is currently (December 2023) in its 32 year of operation, the beginning of noticeable deterioration.
Although DPS has received money for the school from bonds, which are issued by governments and corporations when communities want to raise money, increased material and labor costs have left a $100 million deficit for renovation funds. There are many other DPS schools waiting for renovations and new construction, too, and Riverside is far from the front of the line.
In addition to DSA, Murray-Massenburg Elementary, a new elementary school, is scheduled to open in South Durham in August, 2024. Morehead and Glenn Elementary schools will also receive new buildings and renovations, but Holt Elementary, Bethesda Elementary, Club Boulevard and Mangum Elementary will not, despite the approval for projects. This means that Riverside will be pushed further back on the priority list for renovations.
DPS Board Member Natalie Beyer stated that there are no plans to replace Riverside, but regular maintenance and repairs are required.
“Durham Public Schools will complete a new Long Range Facility Assessment this year,” said Beyer. “This document will help us prioritize future bond projects and renovations throughout schools, including Riverside.”
Beyer also mentioned the importance of maintaining diverse and limiting overcrowding school populations. A new DPS plan called “Growing Together” will redraw school district lines.
As Northern surpassed its building life expectancy, the facility condition required a new campus. Riverside still has a few decades left, but will require major replacements (like electrical systems) and renovations in the coming years.
“[Riverside] had roofing addressed in 2018 and 2019 but the [facility condition index] remains at a poor level,” according to DPS building services. “Projected maintenance needs over the next ten years that includes typical items such as a 20 year cycle renovation, site improvements, repair of a structural issue related to a veneer wall, replacement of food service equipment, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing system upgrades.”
For Riverside, the facility costs a total of over $30 million to maintain. That includes new construction, 20 year renovations, theater arts renovation, drainage, landscaping, irrigation, athletic fields, parking lots, fencing, lighting, roofing, windows, exterior walls, food services, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, security and intercom.
Additionally, The Riverside Facility Report for DPS claims that Riverside is in a state of overcapacity, with enrollment peaking in the 2023-2024 school year.
Roth moved back into her original room after returning from Winter Break.
However, upon entering her “newly cleaned room,” she found a dead lizard splayed on top of her teaching podium. “We named it Mushu because it was in the spiritual realm when we met him,” said Roth, referring to the dead lizard.
“It feels really good to be back, I really missed the space,” said Roth. “It is really hard traveling from one room to the next.”
Roth said the most frustrating part is the circular chain of command.
“I had spoken to Dr. Woods-Weeks about moving into [room 143] because it’s empty…Dr. Woods-Weeks sent me to Dr. Okun to check with him, he sent me to Ms. Patterson, Ms. Patterson said ‘I have no idea, go check with Dr. Woods-Weeks.’ I went back to Dr. Woods-Weeks and she said that we were unable to use this room because it is a CTE room and it’s federally funded,” said Roth.
“I feel it’s very circular. I feel it’s exhausting,” said Roth. “Although our administrators are willing to listen to what our concerns were, either their ability to correct a situation of this magnitude is limited or it gets lost in the day to day.”
Junior Maria Gant, a student of Roth’s, was finally able to return to the original classroom.
“I want to say finally, but I also want to say ‘they took too long,’” said Gant. “They didn’t do as much as they could have done about [the mold].”
Students also acknowledged that it won’t be the last time they deal with a building-related issue.
“[HVAC issues] get a little annoying because it is either frigid or sweltering in different rooms, it really just depends on where you are in the school,” said junior Ayla Wolfson.
“I feel like [building issues] are not being taken care of, like in the G-hall bathroom there was only one stall that actually worked,” said senior Indeya Holden. “The school needs to do a better job with taking care of the building instead of waiting until the minute to do it.”
Despite Allman and Roth moving back in, the constant issues of confusion, poor communication and the district’s lack of timeliness remain the same.
“This is a problem that is larger than Dr. Woods-Weeks. This is larger than the assistant principals,” said Roth. “This is a district level problem that is not being addressed with urgency.”
