by Sabrina Salas Matanane, KUAM News Friday, March 21, 2008 Subscribe to Sabrina's newsfeed   E-mail this article Printable version KUAM Toolbar Web Widgets Get RSS headlines

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After years of filth, unsafe, unsanitary conditions and a long list of complaints from parents the Guam Public School System had one week to get its act together and get Southern High School back up to health code. And Friday was crucial for the Home of the Dolphins, as students are scheduled to return to class from Spring Break come Monday.

After the attorney general shut down Southern High last Friday for multiple violations of health codes and placing students lives in danger for unsafe conditions like the lack of fire alarms, and an Olympic-sized pool filled with filth, fish and debris - to name a few - all this week the Guam Public School System has been scrambling to clean, scrub, move toilets, urinals and other materials in order to get the school back up to par. And to get the Guam Department of Public Health inspectors back to the campus for a re-inspection today.

According to GPSS spokesperson Gerry Cruz, a formal request for re-inspection was prepared at 2pm today, inviting members of the AG's GPSS Health and Safety Task Force back to the Santa Rita school. And while most of the work has been done, big punch items on the to-do list like removing potentially hazardous materials from the school won't get done today. "The contractor will not have it all removed today, they're going to package it and probably by tomorrow morning it will be package sealed and removed from campus."

Also remaining on the to-do list is Southern High's blue lagoon. For $80,000 Loyal Pacific has been contracted to perform cleanup work. The company is prepping to clean the perimeter and cutting the grass around it, as well as water blast it. As for the pool itself, the Guam Waterworks Authority hasn't quite finished pumping the water out. "We're starting to see the bottom of the pool already and the contractor is going to bring in equipment and will find a way to lift out the bleachers that were blown into the pool during Supertyphoon Pongsona," GPSS spokesman Gerry Cruz maintained.

(Keep in mind that storm hit Guam in 2002.)

So what happens if GPSS doesn't make the grade? "We're gong to have to see and whatever the recommendations are. We have to follow them they are the regulatory agency they hold all the cards for us we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. And hopefully it comes out good. If that ever happens, we're going to have to see what we could do," Cruz continued.