| Theft leaves students, teachers shivering (11/07) | | Print | |
| Written by Dylan McHugh | |
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English and foreign language teachers are waiting for repairs after copper wiring was stolen from air-conditioning and heating units that provide temperature control to T-139, T-137 and T-141 on an unknown date during early Oct. or late Sept.
Non-insulated copper wiring can be sold for $2.00 to $2.70 per pound, according to Christian Nordhausen, an employee of Sims Metal America. It is stolen mostly from “abandoned buildings and buildings under construction,” said officer Allen Hannibal of the San Francisco Police Department’s burglary unit. Chinese teacher Xiaolin Chang filed a form requesting repairs with Janeé Montelongo, the assistant principal in charge of buildings and grounds, on Oct. 11. However, the air-conditioning and heating units might have been broken into far before she filed the form, as Chang said she had not used the air-conditioning and heating units for several weeks before. Chang said Montelongo returned the form with a note that said Vanir Construction was dealing with the repairs. Although she was unsure when Montelongo returned the form, Chang said she spoke with the assistant principal during the week of Oct. 28 if the broken air-conditioning and heating unit could be replaced with the functioning air-conditioning and heating unit from the unused bungalow next to T-144. At that point Montelongo said that the district had already ordered replacement air-conditioning and heating units for the affected bungalows, according to Chang. According to Chang, principal Andy Ishibashi was visibly surprised when she told him on Nov. 7 that she had filed a form concerning the air-conditioning and heating units on Oct. 11. English department head Svein Arber said he made a verbal complaint about the damaged air-conditioning and heating units at an administrative council meeting on Oct. 17, when Vanir Construction manager Inez Ayerra told him the vandalism was the school district’s issue to resolve. But neither the district’s assistant director of Custodial Services, Willie Green, nor the Chief Facilities Officer, David Goldin, knew anything of the incident on Oct. 25. On Oct. 30, Montelongo sent a memo to teachers in the affected bungalows that said Vanir Construction was dealing with the issue and that the air-conditioning and heating units would be replaced in approximately two weeks, according to English teacher Staci Carny, who holds classes in T-139, and Chang. When asked about the ongoing problem on Nov. 9, Montelongo said she had no comment. Montelongo also declined to give the case number assigned to the theft by the police and thus The Lowell could not interview the police about how they are investigating the theft. In the meantime, teachers are concerned about the impact of weather changes on students. Average temperatures for the month of Oct. range from 70 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit, according to The Weather Channel (www.weather,com). “When it was warmer and there was no air conditioning, there was a day when I had to hold class outside because it was too hot in the room,” Carney said. “Now that it’s cold, the students are really uncomfortable, especially in the morning, and since it’s cold outside, too, there’s really no place to go.” Chang agreed. “Kids were complaining that it’s too cold,” she said. “It’s freezing in the morning.” Carney also showed distress for why it has taken so long for the air-conditioning and heating units to be replaced. “I am concerned about it,” Carney said. “More than anything, I’m concerned about my students because it’s hard to concentrate in a cold classroom. If it gets any colder, I don’t know what we will do. We’re lucky it hasn’t been colder than it is. If it gets colder, it’s going to be real unpleasant out here.” The company that manufactures the air-conditioning and heating units sold to the school, Bard, refused to give a price estimate of a replacement heater to The Lowell on Nov. 8. “You need to be a contractor or a school administrator to get pricing information,” said a person who answered their phone. Online retailer ACforSale (www.acforsale.com) listed prices for the same air-conditioning and heating units used by Lowell from $1,352 to $3,248. Per the construction company’s request, questions for the company were given to Montelongo on Oct. 26. The company has not yet responded as of Nov. 9. |
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to listen.
