Battle under way over Marquette School

Battle under way over Marquette
Drives for signatures to determine whether new school will be constructed.

MICHAEL WANBAUGH , Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- A plea underneath the Hair Crafters sign along Lincoln Way East signifies the battle has begun. "Save Marquette School" it reads.

Across town at the Missionary Baptist Church on north Olive Street, an organizational meeting scheduled for Thursday also declares the battle is here. "I went to Marquette and I have children at Marquette," the Rev. Eugene Staples said, "and this neighborhood deserves a new school."

Construction of a new Marquette Primary Center on the city's northwest side is part of a $36 million facility plan already approved by trustees of the South Bend Community School Corp. The demolition of the existing 71-year-old building would likely follow the completion of a new facility.

A group interested in preserving the current Marquette filed a petition for remonstrance this past summer. It collected enough signatures to allow it to formally remonstrate against the plan. That remonstrance process began Monday. Each side has 30 days to collect valid signatures in favor of its cause.

Registered voters and real property owners within the school corporation's boundaries are eligible to sign and carry petitions. Signatures will be verified by both the St. Joseph County auditor and voter registration offices. The side with the most valid signatures wins.

"It is a very democratic, majority rule kind of process," said Tim Klusczinski, president of the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County. "Ultimately, it allows the public to determine which direction the bond issue should take, not simply the school board."

Staples plans to help organize and mobilize a group from his church interested in seeing a new Marquette built.

If those opposed to the bond issue win the remonstrance, the plan must be tabled and cannot be brought back in a like manner for at least a year. If those in favor of the plan win, school corporation personnel can move forward with financing.

While the financing package includes a major renovation for Monroe Primary and lesser renovations at Clay and Washington high schools, it is Marquette that is clearly the main focus of the remonstrance.

School officials want to replace the 71-year-old building with a new one on the north end of the existing lot. Last week the school corporation was awarded a federal grant to create a Montessori program at Marquette.

School trustees contend that a new building provides the best option for implementing the Montessori component. "I think it's definitely to our advantage that we have now received the grant," said school board President Dawn Jones.

Klusczinski's role in the remonstrance is as a taxpayer. But as president of the Historic Preservation Commission, he is also leading the effort to have historic landmark status bestowed on Marquette.

The South Bend Common Council is expected to vote on that status next Monday night.

If Marquette is declared a landmark, demolition would no longer be an option for the school corporation. Furthermore, any proposed exterior changes would need to go before the Historic Preservation Commission. "Landmarking would not prevent them from updating the building's (mechanicals), adding an addition or completely changing the inside of the building," Klusczinski said.