One Last Reminisce on Main Street

 “I had my first kiss on that stage”

“I met my husband sitting on the bleachers in this gym”

“Oh, remember this?”

These were just a few of the comments heard as Harrison Community Schools opened up part of Hillside Elementary and the ’38 building for a tour Friday, July 16.

The Harrison schools’ location on Main Street in Harrison across from the Clare County Sheriff Department has been a school location since the early 1880s. It was the location of the original Hayes Agricultural High School. The buildings set to be torn down were built in 1938 and 1957.

The remaining school building will be remodeled into district offices and preschool classrooms. Several were sealed off for asbestos remediation during the tour. The gym will get a facelift and be used as an auxiliary gym for the district.

While nostalgia is high for these buildings, the aging schools are past their usefulness. Next to beautiful old original doors that scream to be saved and treasured is a wastepaper basket turned drainage device with a hose attached to drain water from a leak in a closet. Not a memory any child needs of their school days.

Salvaging materials is included in the bid for demolition and cuts costs for the district so many items will not see the dumpster.

The changes will put all the elementary students at Larson Elementary. Larson is currently under construction with its own remodel and addition to accommodate K-12. I was invited to take an additional tour of the progress at Larson. While I felt nostalgia at Hillside, it was at Larson the impact of a new school hit me in the heartstrings. The gym, classrooms, and organized layout will benefit generations of students.

The project has not been without its hiccups: namely the cost and availability of labor and materials. A problem felt by any project happening in 2020-2021.

School will start on Monday, August 30 and the demolition at Hillside is scheduled for October. If you missed the tour visit, the Clare County Cleaver Facebook page, three video tours are posted.