Friends of Reiche Wants to be Uniting Force

A group calling itself the Friends of Reiche has begun the process of trying to enhance and improve the local school and community center. West End City Councilor Dave Marshall and School Committee member Robert O’Brien chaired the inaugural meeting of the group on March 29.

Group members stressed collaboration with the School Department, the City government, neighborhood representatives and the Reiche School administration, bringing together the diverse group of organizations to try to improve maintenance and improvement of the facility.

Lack of communication among the stakeholders involved seems to have been a problem from the beginning. West End Neighborhood Association member Jo Coyne spoke briefly about the early history of Reiche in the early 1970’s. News accounts of the time reported that there was opposition to the school and that nearly fifty homes in the neighborhood were razed to make room for the facility. Neighborhood residents at the time also complained that promises to promote an active community center on the site were never fulfilled. The building houses a swimming pool which is under-utilized and in need of repair.

Ed Bryant, who is a Reiche parent, has agreed to serve as the group’s contact person.