Viewpoints
Any White Cliff Occupancy
Questioned
by Tom LeCompte
January 27, 2005
Thursday
This is what was left of Aberdeen High School (my alma mater,)
after a couple students started a fire a couple years ago. I
believe it had the same just-inside-the-walls ventilation ducts
that White Cliff has. These run from the ground floor up all
three stories. It took less than an hour for this building to
be completely gutted...all three floors. You could see right
where the air vent/ducts were because they looked like chimneys
spewing flames into the air. If anything is done with White Cliff,
it needs to be gutted also or demolished and a new building put
up.
Aberdeen High School
White Cliff has a leaking flat roof and it has always leaked.
Gosh, does anyone remember the flat roof debates with the new
Kayhi? My class had two buckets hanging from a beam, and any
time it rained water dripped....and I was on the 2nd floor!
It creaks and groans in the wind.... a lot!
I feel it was a wink and a
handshake between the fire inspectors and the district that allowed
this building to remain open and I think any building inspector
worth his salt could've found reason to close it at anytime in
the last 15 years.
Aberdeen High School
God Bless the memories, but let's take a bunch of pictures for
that purpose and run quickly in any other direction. If the
senior citizens really want this property let them have it.
But with the steep, not-currently-code stairways, funky wooden
fire exits, and fire trap potential I question any occupancy
without major renovation.
Of course this is just my opinion.
Tom LeCompte
Ketchikan, AK - USA
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