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Central Point alternative school will remain open By BUFFY POLLOCK CENTRAL POINT - An agreement between the city and school district will keep a few dozen alternative students in school a little longer. Despite an earlier decision to vacate the building that once housed Fire Station 78 until some needed repairs could be made, the city agreed last week to make an exception for alternative kids from Scenic and Hanby middle schools. "At this time, the school district will be the only one using it," said City Administrator Jim Bennett. "They needed to continue that program." The Central Point School District will pay $550 per month for use of the facility from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Superintendent Candace Manary said she was relieved the alternative school would be able to stay open. The old fire hall on Third Street, she said, was the only option some students had to be able to continue their education when traditional school didn't work out. "We're hoping to be able to use it as long as we have an agreement with the city. Previously, the school district did not have a facility to serve as an alternative school and our options were very limited. "Without the use of that building, some kids wouldn't be able to be in school or could only go part time," she said. The school district began using the fire station during the 1999-2000 school year. It was originally vacated when the city voted to contract for fire protection with Fire District 3 in 1996 and shut down the station. It was later leased to Hope Christian Church as a youth center. The church ended its lease June 30 because of extensive maintenance costs. An assessment of the building after it was vacated in June showed numerous repairs were necessary, mainly on the upper floor. In addition, a firewall will have to be built between the two stories in order to bring the building up to code for use by the city and other groups later. For now, students only have access to the first floor. While no decision has been made regarding long-term use of the building, numerous groups have expressed an interest in using it - including the school district, Hope Christian Church and a theater group. Bennett said public input on the building's uses would be accepted when repairs have been made. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.