Blue Doors in Hart Plaza

**bigtreble** · August-25-09, 12:17 PM

I like the concept, but a coworker thought they were setting up portable bathrooms for an upcoming weekend event... who chose port-o-john blue doors?
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
DPS launches $500K retention campaign

Catherine Jun / The Detroit News

Detroit -- There's a new arrival at the Detroit riverfront -- 172 new arrivals, to be exact. Painted blue doors representing each of Detroit's public schools were installed Monday morning at Hart Plaza as part of the district's "I'm In" student retention campaign. â€¦ The doors are just one part of a budgeted $500,000 campaign the district is hoping will pay for itself by slowing the exodus of students to nearby charter schools, private schools and suburban districts. ... The doors will remain at the plaza until Thursday, and then make appearances at the Michigan State Fair, city parks and community events. By Labor Day, they will be on Belle Isle.

**Detroitnerd** · August-25-09, 12:21 PM

Sigh. Sofa king dumb.

**bigtreble** · August-25-09, 12:22 PM

pic 1:20pm

**jcole** · August-25-09, 12:26 PM

What a stupid waste of money

**catch22** · August-25-09, 12:40 PM

I saw this on the news this morning. First thing I though of was the door warehouse in the movie "Monsters, Inc."

**jt1** · August-25-09, 01:42 PM

I'd prefer to see a banner guaranteeing that kids will have access to every book they need and even be allowed to take them home to do homework.

Although this waste of money doesn't surprise me it is sad that it happened on Bobb's watch.

**Bobl** · August-25-09, 01:50 PM

Silly marketing ploy.
A better use of the funds would be to provide clean, working washrooms [[and toilet paper) for the daily use of the students. Perhaps text books. A few security guards.
The possibilities are endless.

**bailey** · August-25-09, 02:08 PM

...172 new arrivals, to be exact. Painted blue doors representing each of Detroit's public schools were installed Monday morning at Hart Plaza as part of the district's "I'm In" student retention campaign. …

There are 172 schools in the system? For 90k students? Pretty sure that Utica Community Schools is next largest district in the state with about 30k students and 40 total schools. wouldn't that imply that Detroit is still 50 schools over what it should have? Wouldn't that dramatically lower costs. Totally napkin-ing it out...am I way off?

**jcole** · August-25-09, 02:12 PM

I'm pretty sure you'd have to take into account that there are a lot more kids in elementary schools than in high schools and use the age demographic to figure out the number of schools needed. I forget what the HS drop out rate is, but I know they lose a lot of kids in the later years.
Edit: It's something like 29% of kids graduate from high school in Detroit.

**REL** · August-25-09, 03:16 PM

Wow, it's like our own Porta-Potty Stonehenge!

Or, it's symbolic or how many doors you have to go through to get anything done. And it also happens to loop in an unending circle.... forever... and forever...

**thefishwrap** · August-25-09, 03:21 PM

29 of the 40 schools in UCS are elementary schools, so they are the same boat with most of the students being younger. But UCS puts more in high schools, than the lower levels. So like 400-500 students in an elementary school, but 2,000 students in a HS.

Either way, I'm sure DPS has about 30-40 more schools than it really needs, but the area where these schools are is extremely spread out. The argument against closing is that the kids would be too far away from their local school.

**EastsideAl** · August-25-09, 05:22 PM

The Detroit Public Schools have to cover 143 sq. miles of territory, mostly with aging buildings that were built in a very different time for a very different city. I know the Utica district is now vast, but I'm sure it covers less than half that amount of territory, and has mostly newer purpose-built schools that were built ahead of or during the population growth.

**aoakley** · August-25-09, 05:31 PM

I can't believe hundreds of thousands of dollars was allowed to be spent this way. Dearborn Hts. and other suburban schools are turning away students from Detroit, they're running out of room. And we spend half a million dollars of our money on this nonsense. Here's an idea: work hard, get it together, and other communities will want to send their kids to DPS. And I like Robert Bobb, he seems like he is trying very hard. I suppose everyone is allowed to jump the shark at least once.

**RickBeall** · August-25-09, 05:33 PM

AroundTown wrote:
>>Porta-Potty Stonehenge ....

I like your sense of humor! You are a danger to society and stupidity.

**bumble** · August-25-09, 05:57 PM

So this was a somewhat "artistic" project, an installation in you will, obviously not fine art or anything, but still....art involves symbolism and interpretation.

Doors represent an entrance to learning, new opportunities and pathways.

Port o johns represent waste [[how appropriate when discussing the Detroit School System).

Port o johns are doors that no one wants to touch or enter, unless they have no other choice.

I have to echo the sentiment of the original poster and ask who chose latrine doors? These doors are instantly recognizable, they don't make me think of anything except "stinky" and other words that I will not type, for the sake of propriety. If I designed this project and was told that only port o john doors were available, I would have put my plans in the crapper.

The jokes write themselves. It's almost too easy. Someone could have a field day writing an op ed piece on this.

**Jimaz** · August-25-09, 06:29 PM

Those don't look like Port-O-John doors to me. From where did the Port-O-John connection come?

Oh, okay. Maybe from a distance.

**bumble** · August-25-09, 06:51 PM

Well, whaddaya know, those aren't potty doors! Don't believe everything you read I guess! I retract my particular criticisms. Live and learn.

**PCN** · August-26-09, 07:41 AM

Every time I see those doors I am reminded of the missing doorknobs at my former school. What are they going to do with these doors after the campaign?

**hamtown mike** · August-26-09, 01:31 PM

Does anybody know about the blue doors in Hart Plaza?

**bailey** · August-26-09, 02:01 PM

check the 172 port-o-johns thread.

**bigtreble** · August-26-09, 02:10 PM

172 port-o-john doors installed at Hart Plaza

**hamtown mike** · August-26-09, 02:41 PM

They're certainly eye catching.

**bailey** · August-26-09, 02:54 PM

I suppose they are eye catching. Personally I think the retention fund of 500k for advertising and this installation would be better utilized as a retainer for bankruptcy counsel.

Stosh · August-26-09, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

I suppose they are eye catching. Personally I think the retention fund of 500k for advertising and this installation would be better utilized as a retainer for bankruptcy counsel.

Agreed. I also am surprised that they haven't been tagged yet.

**ndavies** · August-26-09, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by Stosh

Agreed. I also am surprised that they haven't been tagged yet.

There is a reason Hart plaza is virtually free of graffiti. You do know Hart Plaza has a huge number of security Cameras and an active police station underneath it. The police would be on the taggers before they even removed the caps off their paint cans.