BY ROBERT BEST

SINCE THE FATE of Louis Lynch Secondary School at Whitepark, St Michael, was inextricably linked to the existence of the neighbouring Tropical Laundries, the recent destruction of the laundry by fire provides an opportunity for rethinking the future of the now abandoned school.

It is also timely since Minister of Education Ronald Jones has admitted that with the closure of the school pressure has been mounting to find the 700 places which would have been provided there.

Jones has been pondering the need to build a new secondary school at a rural site, and while at one stage there was some argument against the wisdom of having Louis Lynch as a secondary school in The City, it cannot be said that activity in the area was so hectic that it really created serious problems. The argument about its siting was more like icing on the cake to make any other objections more attractive.

But now that the laundry is no longer in the picture and we are no longer confronted with any reluctance to close it or remove it, to literally give the school more breathing space, we can go a step further and incorporate the space that was occupied by the laundry into any future plan to reopen the school.

It will always be puzzling to many as to why the school seemed to be adversely affected by chemicals linked or associated with the cleaning of clothes while other nearby buildings had gone about their business with little or no complaints from those using those buildings. But then the "noise" coming from the school was suddenly more strident. The point was reached where those who wanted the school closed had their wish, with not enough thought given to what might have been done to clear up or clean up any problems that might have existed at the site. However, after closing the school we have been left with having to make a decision about future use of the building.

Recently there was talk about handing over the building that housed the school to the National Housing Corporation (NHC). We were not told what plans the NHC would have for the building. But short of pushing it down and creating a car park, which would be a waste of valuable space and money, with the money value of properties in The City being what they are, we still have to consider that people will have to be using the site or building for one purpose or another.

What is almost amusing is that a number of those who were most strident about closing the school now find themselves having to make the decision about the future use of the site or the building.

It is noticeable that in our country we very often do not think through situations as well as we might. For example, where the Louis Lynch School was concerned, the call was for closing the school rather than for finding ways of tackling any problems that existed in an effort to keep the school open. This is why we now find ourselves running into a dead end. It was easier to place emphasis on closing the school than on resiting the laundry.

We are still to learn that having tunnel vision in dealing with problems is more often than not calculated to embarrass those whose job it is to provide a solution than to guarantee the best solution. It becomes worse if panic sets in.

What was also remarkable about the issue is that while the school was closed because of whatever was seen as a problem that apparently could not be solved other than by the school's closure, school meals continued to be produced and cooked in a building close by, apparently without any chemical or other problems that would have prevented the operation of the plant involved. It makes one wonder.

There has been talk from time to time about the need for investigations and tests to be carried out on other sites around the Louis Lynch School but no talk about closures. No employees in these places have suddenly one day come down with all sorts of complaints nor have residents in the surrounding areas been complaining about health matters. It only adds to the wonderment.

What has been surprising, too, is that in the recent fire the firemen did not encounter any chemicals at the laundry site. But having said all that, it might well be embarrassing for Jones to have another look at what role the now-closed Louis Lynch School might be able to effectively play in the secondary school system, if reopened. For a start, most people resent having to admit that they made a mistake, and Jones has around him a number of people who would not want to admit that they made a mistake in calling for the closure of the school.

* Robert Best is a former managing editor of the Barbados Advocate.