Letters to the editor (Feb. 16, 2020)

Historic buildings

As I read Ed Martin’s commentary in The Eagle (“Save Century II . . . For what?”), I was struck by his lack of vision. He made a case for Century II and the old library being obsolete and of no further use to the community.

During my tenure as an administrator with USD 259, I had the privilege of being assistant principal at Wichita High School North. As I arrived at work each morning I was always struck by the beauty of the building. My appreciation of North High was shared by many. I even had the opportunity to work with author Carla Breeze as she photographed North to be included in her book “American Art Deco”.

Even though North was an architectural masterpiece, I realized that as a school building it was obsolete. After all, North was opened when the Model A Ford was the most modern car on the road, but hardly fit to be a daily driver in the ‘90s. The inadequacies of the school became apparent as I compared the facilities to the brand new Goddard High School, where my wife taught.

The generations of Wichitans who were alums of the school had a never-ending love of that structure and would never be satisfied if North High was razed and replaced by a new school. Thankfully, the voters of Wichita approved a school bond that allowed us to create a school suited to educate our youth well into the 21st century.

I had the pleasure of spending hours working with architect Kenton Cox (a North High alum) to remodel North High to shed the cocoon of age and emerge as a contemporary school suited to the 21st century needs and retain the classic art deco design that made it a historic landmark.

North High School is not the only “obsolete” building to continue to serve Wichita. We should be proud that the original City Hall is now the Wichita Historical Museum and that Union Station is being repurposed to serve a variety of new tenants. We can still relive our aviation history at the original Wichita Airport terminal, students still attend classes in Davis Hall at Friends University, and citizens can still watch a movie or live show at the Orpheum Theatre.

I urge the city to get past the idea that the internal structure that supports Century II’s roof prevents it from being remodeled or that the library cannot be repurposed to serve us in the future. If we think small we will destroy an important element of our heritage. No one I know was happy when the Miller Theatre became a parking garage.

Lacey Cruse’s travel

The Eagle has generously provided space for Lacey Cruse to explain her taxpayer-funded junket to Ghana. Having read the article, I see no connection between what she learned in Ghana and any important issues facing Sedgwick County. What she reported in the paper could be easily learned online, starting with Wikipedia.

I have no idea whether the money she used for the trip was a legal transaction, but you do wonder. The people of Wichita deserve far better. Being a county commissioner is a good job; many intelligent and honest citizens are available to serve.