Cable employees to help school cleanupCable employees to help school cleanupOctober 1, 2004
Kudos to the Comcast employee who nominated Oakley Elementary School for their Comcast Care Program. The nomination has made it possible for Oakley School to have a day of help with cleanup and repairs on Oct. 2nd with the help of Comcast employees.
"We're going to have a cleanup day when the employees will come to the school and do some long awaited projects," Oakley School prinicpal Kathy Kruse said.
Slated for the day's cleanup will be replanting trees along the back of the school. Comcast will be purchasing a variety of 15-gallon trees to plant. The new trees will replace trees that have long since died and been pulled up.
"Comcast employees will also be re-painting a mural that is on the blacktop area in the school courtyard," Kruse said. The mural is of children playing in a playground. Kruse said that the original mural will just be repainted, because it is something that is familiar to everyone who attends the school.
Depending on how ambitious the workers are, Kruse said that the group will also plant more flowers and shrubs around the patio area where the kids eat lunch outside on nice days. They will also be cleaning the debris around the ice plants.
Over the past few years the school's staff has wanted to paint a flag on the wall board, which is where kids play ball, and if there is time, Kruse hopes they will also be able to finish that project as well.
On hand Saturday will also be the Oakley School PTA, who plan to do other cleanup projects while the Comcast employees are doing their community service.
Kruse said that although the work that will be done to clean up the campus is very much appreciated, the cleanup will barely touch the surface of what is needed as part of the reconstruction of Oakley School.
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, the voters in the Oakley Union Elementary School District will be asked to vote Yes Measure H. Measure H is a $16.5 million school bond to relieve overcrowding in local elementary schools by building new schools. Measure H will also provide funds to renovate and modernize the two oldest schools in the district, Gehringer Elementary School and Oakley Elementary School.
According to the district, Measure H funds will build two new elementary schools in Oakley, renovate and modernize Oakley and Gehringer elementary schools, upgrade and modernize school libraries, fix and replace leaky roofs and improve handicapped access to schools.
Measure H will help to prevent overcrowding at local elementary schools. District enrollment has increased over the past five years and with all of the new housing that will be coming into Oakley in the next few years it is estimated that its enrollment will increase an additional 22 percent in the next five years.
Kruse said that it is wonderful to be able to have projects like the Comcast Cares program available because Measure H isn't a sure thing, unless the voters get out and vote for it. Oakley Elementary School is the oldest school in Oakley. Unlike Gehringer School, it has been a long time since it has been renovated and could really use a face lift.
Having someone from the community nominate Oakley School to Comcast is a sign that people in the community care about the school and want to see it gets the attention it deserves.
"We are very appreciative for the community," Kruse said. "It is all about the kids."
Roni Gehlke's column on life in Oakley appears each week in the Brentwood News.
Distributed by the Contra Costa Times