Thank you for the piece "Schenley High School: A 'Green Building' Ahead of Its Time" by Vivian Loftness, university professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University (June 15 The Next Page). Although I am not a resident of the city of Pittsburgh, I have lived in Shaler, Ross and Franklin Park for the last 45 years and take pride and much interest in our community. It is great news that we have a progressive school superintendent in the city who is successfully carrying out plans for sorely needed education improvement.

However, Mark Roosevelt is not an engineer. Any person less familiar with engineering and construction than he needs to be can surmise that the politics about Schenley High School is overtaking reality and reason. What a magnificent building we have, what ideal location and history! I cannot believe that the cost estimates, increased recently and substantially, are anywhere near correct and not inflated, or reflect the true needs to get this masterpiece in order for continued use.

My advice: Start from scratch, fire the consultants, get many new bids and let one of our numerous qualified local engineering firms evaluate these, maybe on a pro bono basis, perhaps with the help of Carnegie Mellon University architecture students; get the public and all our government sectors involved; and start collecting money, donations, grants, concessions. Save this jewel, and help the young people who love their school and deserve a good facility in the neighborhood!

E. GUS SCHEMPP
Franklin Park
The writer is a retired metallurgical engineer.

All school closings are controversial, with emotional opposition a normal outcome of every proposed closing. For Schenley, the economic aspects of the situation are unambiguous. The political aspects, as always, are messy. Should city taxpayers bear the extra cost to keep Schenley open? Is the building a critical component of the institution's success? Whose concerns should be given top priority? These are difficult issues for the declining city to contend with.

City Councilman Bill Peduto's "creative financing" for the repair of Schenley High School is more like creative accounting, which is illegal in the corporate world but standard practice in politics ("Schenley Proposal Called 'Irresponsible,' " June 13). He's using imaginary future revenue to offset actual current expenses.

Pittsburgh needs true creative leadership to stop the downward spiral before it is too late.

DAVID T. JACK SR.
Baden