To the editor:
As a community, we should look long and hard at the potential uses of the Fuller School property.
Blackburn Circle, because of its unique location, can easily be accessed from all parts of our community. As a municipal center, we could draw all departments under one roof for centralized government. Currently we are renting office space in various parts of the city. Imagine — a citizen/customer service center at one location with adequate parking for everyone!
I do not think our current financial crisis and government mandates are going to disappear right away, so we must start thinking like frugal Yankees again.
The city of Gloucester owns Fuller School, so we would not have to go and purchase land nor get involved with all those expensive building costs, which we cannot afford.
The huge cost of mismanagement and poor quality workmanship of Boston's "Big Dig" has caused most Massachusetts residents to give our state a large vote of no confidence on government projects. After years of litigation over Gloucester High School's workmanship — ask players about the new gym floor — we should be very reluctant to build. But the conversion of Fuller could be handled much like homeowners on a budget; set goals and do the work as we could afford it.
Many of our former schools have been converted into excellent facilities. Central Grammar, Eastern Avenue, Hovey and Forbes are now apartments, condos and commercial office space. The Babson School property became Sheedy Park and the Armory is now Curtis Clark — both housing for senior citizens. The conversion of Fuller School offers a unique opportunity to do the same.
A study of the Gloucester Fire Department had recommended a new central station be built at or near Blackburn Center because of the ability to get to East Gloucester, West Gloucester and Lanesville rapidly.
Road access through Fuller property from Trask, Green, and Sargent streets could — with neighborhood input— give inner city residents access to the Blackburn rotary, reducing Washington Street traffic. If we did eventually build a new central fire station on Fuller property, these roads would also allow emergency vehicles a quicker response route to inner city locales, saving time, which could save lives in an emergency.
As a cultural center, we would still have a home for our symphony and all the other wonderful shows, plays, dance recitals, rallies, etc., that we have seen over the years. The gymnasium at Fuller has been another excellent resource in the center of Gloucester for years. The potential use of Fuller for such things as, for instance, trade shows and art shows is extraordinary.
I know we have many hard choices to make in the near future, but Fuller could play a role in contributing long-term solutions in our quest to recreate a vibrant city.
We know the words inscribed on the auditorium wall at City Hall, "Build not just for today alone, but for tomorrow as well."
carl Ekborg
Prentiss Road, Gloucester
