MSN_071317

10 | July 13, 2017 | Malibu surfside news school
malibusurfsidenews.com
Onlookers in high spirits as Malibu school building gets demolished
New 12-classroom
structure expected
to open in either
2018 or 2019
Barbara Burke
Freelance Reporter
Spectators gathered
Wednesday, July 5, to
watch the demolition of
Malibu Middle School
Building E.
“My classroom just disappeared,”
said Brigette
Leonard, who has taught
sixth grade at Malibu Middle
School for 17 years as she
watched a large trackhoe
take down the building to
make way for a replacement.
For Leonard, the demolition
was a reminder and an
affirmation that Building E’s
polychlorinated biphenyls
were no longer a concern.
“I cannot put into words
all the emotions I’m going
through right now as that
classroom has been my
home for so many years,”
Leonard said. “But, it has
been a major problem for
me, parents, other teachers
and students as well. I was
one of the teachers with
thyroid cancer. It is nice to
see the district’s admission
of guilt about that as evidenced
by this demolition
today.”
It takes a remarkably
short amount of time to
demolish a structure. The
large-mouthed trackhoe cut
into the one-story building
incisively. Parts of
the building creaked and
swayed. The sounds of
metal being crunched permeated
the air.
A small crowd of onlookers
gasped as huge portions
of the roof and walls were
efficiently captured by the
trackhoe and deposited into
a large refuse container.
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Malibu Middle School’s Building E is demolished. Photos
by Barbara Burke/22nd Century Media
A trackhoe breaks down the structure that was Malibu
Middle School’s Building E on Wednesday, July 5. The
building, which was determined to have polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), will be replaced by a structure made of
shipping containers.
knock it down, but it took
about one month to conduct
abatement of asbestos
and PCBs. Those are all
gone now,” said Dominic
Citro, safety officer on the
project.
Carey Upton, director of
maintenance, operations,
transportation and facilities
departments, said construction
is on schedule.
“As part of the original
project, we were going to
renovate and modernize
the building,” Upton explained.
“However, as we
calculated PCB and other
remediation costs, with
the consultation of parents
and others on an advisory
committee, we decided to
destroy the structure and
construct a modular system
made out of shipping containers.
“The new structure will be
two stories and will include
12 classrooms,” he continued.
“Our goal is to have this
building ready for the Fall
of 2018 or January of 2019,
depending on construction.
The new building will be
more modern and will match
the other buildings and will
be more green.”
Caren Leib, chairwoman
of the Financial Advisory
Committee that recommended
the demolition of
the building, was on hand
to witness the event.
“I’m overcome with joy,”
Leib said. “Miracles do
happen. They were going
to paint the windows, doors
and floors, but the committee
recommended that
they demolish the building.
We conducted a study and
proved that it was possible
to use shipping containers
which are very green and to
replace the building.”
The demolition of the old
building and replacement
with the new structure is
funded by $77 million in
taxpayer-approved bond
money.
The process of the old
giving way to the new often
can be difficult and challenging.
However, as all
attendees witnessed the demolition,
to a person, they
agreed that it was good for
Malibu’s children.
“I went to this school in
middle school,” Leonard
said. “I still teach here. This
is a very happy day.”