Lab will only need few finishing touches when school starts
n By Heather Bremner
Staff Writer
Gilroy – Transporting the final piece of St. Mary School’s newest building was no easy task.
Because it’s the tallest slice of the Catholic school’s prefabricated science lab and was manufactured in Southern California, the trip required 15 permits. To abide by city regulations and avoid Church Street and Monterey Road, the section endured quite a trip, traveling from highways 152 to 156 to 25 before hitting U.S. 101.
Then the driver, who was also accompanied by a California Highway Patrol cruiser, headed south down 10th Street, touched Luchessa Avenue, skipped across Santa Teresa Boulevard and finally landed at the First Street locale.
“Nothing has been simple,” said Vicki Campanella, St. Mary School director of development. “It’s just you do one thing and others crop but it’s here and we’re so excited.”
The process to build the new science lab began back in 2003 and the Gilroy private school hit some snags along the way. In January, staffers fought the city’s traffic impact fee, pointing out that the new structure would serve current students and thus would not increase traffic surrounding the school.
Eventually, city officials acquiesced and dropped the extra fee. The school raised the funds for the lab through a variety of means. In addition to the Blue and White Auction, parents, community members and other individuals donated cash. St. Mary also received money from the memorials of individuals who requested a donation to the school in lieu of flowers.
The foundation for the 36-by-48-square-foot building was laid before school ended in the spring and Campanella said, “we’re hoping that within the first month of school we’ll be able to occupy it and use it.” When school begins in late August, expect to see smiles emanating from the faces of students and teachers. The lab will be a first for the primary school. In the past the middle school students completed labs on their desktops.
Now, they’ll have the real deal, complete with lab tables and sinks, making the science teacher’s set-up and clean-up much more convenient, Campanella said.
