Opinion: Keep Quaker Valley High School in the Village

Just to be clear, I am 100% behind building a new high school. I am, however, against it being built outside of our village area that currently all of our schools are located within — especially since 625 Beaver St. was not given proper consideration as a new build site.

I’m guessing we all ended up in this wonderful “Mayberry” village because of the sense of community we all feel. Some of us grew up here, some left a regular suburban township, some came from out-of-state and large metro areas.

The heart of our school district is Sewickley Borough and the municipalities that flow along Beaver Street, connecting them all. We all can sense it when we take our walks (with or without our dogs), shop, or go out to dinner, how very lucky we are to live in this wonderful area.

This is a unique and special place in Allegheny County we should fight to preserve its character. Given our long history, Sewickley Valley area residents define old-fashioned Pittsburgh grit, which is a valuable trait to have.

The existing location of the Quaker Valley High School at 625 Beaver St. provides opportunities for our young adults that the proposed site can never duplicate. Currently, they can walk or bike to get a part-time job after school or easily meet up with their friends to grab something to eat. Even teenagers without cars have the freedom to travel independently using the public bus system. The proposed site separates our children from their village families who are watching out for them. Granted, they don’t always like that their adventures get back to their parents, but as a parent, I loved having those extra sets of eyes as my sons gained their independence.

Once an asset leaves, it can’t be replaced. Schools are the anchors that our community is built upon. Did we study the loss of business our coffee bars, restaurants and stores will lose when more than 700 students and faculty are moved up a steep hill 15 minutes away? On a large scale, we’ve seen the devastation caused to towns and communities when the steel mills left. Just up the road, we can see those effects and how hard Ambridge is battling to regain its one-time vibrant main street. Why would we want to let an important domino fall just to create a typical suburban high school campus (without a stadium) that encourages urban sprawl?

We have another choice: protect our community and environment by creating a timeless urban high school that would grace Beaver Street for decades to come!

Pennsylvania Department of Education has no set requirements for minimum acreage needed for a school, provided it meets modern educational needs when constructed. Everyone should attend at least one Leet zoning hearing board meeting to understand that the Camp Meeting Road location has very significant development concerns, long-term liability regarding down-slope neighbors in Leetsdale and student safety issues that have not been adequately addressed.

I encourage everyone to read the findings commissioned by Governor Ed Rendell in the booklet “Renovate or Replace.” It was written by Thomas Hylton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from Pottstown, Pa. He has spent more than 35 years studying urban revitalization and small towns like ours, and is the author of a book called “Save Our Land, Save Our Towns.” It goes into more detail why we need to save the aspects in our established Pennsylvania towns that make us unique. It starts with our schools and where they are located.

Kimberly Gatesman is a resident of Edgeworth.