Save the Sidewalk!

Save the Sidewalk!

Earle city, school leaders want to preserve historic class walk

news@theeveningtimes.com

Earle Mayor Sherman Smith and the City Council are calling on the school district to take whatever steps are necessary to preserve the historic class walk which contains the names of graduating classes dating back over 60 years.

The council passed a nonbinding resolution asking the school district to dig up and relocate the sidewalk to another location at the old high school during construction of the new elementary school.

“We’d like them to preserve it and take any and all efforts to maintain the class walk in its present location,” Smith said.

The sidewalk lists the names of every class member at Earle High School from 1923 to 1986.

The council noted that the tradition was kept up through World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War, and contains names which reflect the rich diversity of the backgrounds of family names of past residents from countries like Africa, Belgium, China, England, France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Lebanon, Spain, Sweden, and Wales.

The resolution pointed out that the class walk is seen by many in the community as a spiritual connection among generations of friends and family members, and that the names have served as an inspiration for younger school children.

The school district has begun construction on a new $7 million, 44,000 square foot elementary school.

The current building was constructed in the 1950s and has reached the end of its usefulness. The new school will put students all under one roof and do away with the need to go outside to stand alone structures for lunch and certain classes.

The building plans call for the removal of the class walk and a new sidewalk to be built in its place.

Councilman Kenneth Cross encouraged the school district to dig the class walk up and relocate it at a new spot by the old high school building which was built in 1919.

“I know it’s done in sections,” Cross said. “Is there any way that it can be dug up and placed in another location?”

Superintendent Dr.

Richard Wilde said they realize that removing the class walk is controversial and are looking at every option to preserve the landmark.

“When I first came to talk to you about the new school building we knew very early that was probably going to be an issue simply because of all the names stamped in to the concrete,” Wilde said. “So that’s one of the options that we are currently looking at.”

Wilde said the school district and contractors had taken pictures of each section with all of the names.

Some of the sections, however, have crumbled and

may not be possible to move. “We think for the majority of it, that would be possible,”

Wilde said. “We have

already lost a couple of those sections. One that we cut out, we took pictures of so we could re-create it as closely as possible. We have pictures of all of them. But they are in different states of disrepair.”

Wilde asked the council whether the resolution means they are planning to take the class walk by eminent domain.

“Is the intent to go eminent domain?” Wilde asked.

Mayor Sherman Smith said the resolution is not a law. All they are doing is asking the school to do all they can to save the historic sidewalk.

“The resolution just says that the mayor and the council is in support of going forward with whatever needs to be done to preserve it,” Smith said.

Cross said the city isn’t trying to force the school district to do anything.

They are just encouraging the district to come up with a way to keep the historic walkway intact.

“What the resolution is saying is that we don’t want you to just bust it up,” Cross said.

Cross said he would like to see the names moved closer to the old high school.

“I think if it can be dug up, that would be appropriate,” Cross said.

Wilde agreed.

“The site of the old high school would be the obvious place to relocate it to,” Wilde said. “This is one if the things we will have the construction company and architect take a look at.”

Councilwoman Jimmie Barham asked Wilde to keep the public informed about the effort to save the class walk.

“I just want to make sure that there will be a way to work it out where everybody will understand what’s going on,” Barham said.

Wilde assured Barham that the school district will hold public meetings to get input from the community about the class walk.

“We will hold a couple of meetings and take all input and present all options,” Wilde said. “We’re looking for a solution that is best acceptable to the school district and the community.”

By Mark Randall