Workers rush to complete Murch school’s swing space

by Marlene Berlin

These photos of the Murch Elementary trailers on UDC’s soccer field were taken yesterday. The site no doubt looks different already today.

The sidewalk in this Thursday, August 18th photo did not exist yet on Monday. It leads from Van Ness Street to the Murch trailer complex entrance.

Contractors are working furiously to get the Murch swing space on Van Ness Street ready for kids on the first day of school – this Monday, August 22nd.

Theresa Cameron has been watching the project since the arrival of the first trailers in late June.

“[Wednesday] the front of the school (facing Van Ness Street) was a mess. Now except for the landscaping they have gotten it together,” says Cameron, the executive director of Van Ness Main Street. “The guys are really working hard.”

The Murch swing space from above. Van Ness Street is to the left.

In some ways, the trailers are an upgrade to the Murch site, which will be renovated over the next two years. The trailers contain spacious, modern classrooms with smartboards and multiple electrical outlets. They also have clean, modern bathrooms, and the kindergarten and pre-K classrooms have their own bathrooms. There is more office space for administrators and staff, and the adults have more than the one bathroom they shared at Murch.

Murch trailers are occupying one of UDC’s two soccer fields.

The large white “bubble,” is a multipurpose space where kids will eat lunch and sometimes have indoor recess. Its previous home was Lafayette Elementary, which had its own students in trailers during its renovation.

The “bubble” sits on the back end of the Murch trailer complex.

Many students will still visit the Murch school at 4810 36th Street. Buses will provide transportation between the old school and the new swing space every morning and afternoon.

We wish Murch students a smooth first day of school at their temporary new space. And we expect the kids will do fine with the transition, but any parents, staff and neighbors looking for the light at the end of the tunnel need walk only a few blocks west to Hearst Elementary, which recently completed its own extensive renovation and addition. The results are functional – and beautiful.