KIPP leaves Lynn church a ‘holy mess’

LYNN – When KIPP Academy pulled up stakes in July leaving Holy Family Church for its new home in the Highlands it left behind a holy mess, and some of it still lingers nearly two months later, according to the Rev. Gregory Mercurio.”We own that process,” said KIPP Academy Director Caleb Dolan Thursday. “The transition was not up to par and we did not do it in a timely manner.”Dolan said KIPP will make things right by paying Holy Family additional rent and cleaning up debris left behind.KIPP Academy rented seven classrooms from Holy Family and made the Bessom Street church its home for seven years. Mercurio said the academy’s contract was up in July and according to the stipulations it was to leave the property as it was found. Instead, school officials appeared to be more worried about their new school, Mercurio said.”We were not a priority,” he said.Dolan admitted the move could have been handled better and was quick to express “genuine gratitude” for Holy Family’s support. Mercurio, however, said he’s concerned that an upcoming anniversary celebration could be marred by the debris and barren spots KIPP left behind.While the last modular classroom was removed last Friday, the area adjacent to the church remains a scarred dirt lot. Mercurio said there are also large holes in the driveway where pillars had been erected and two dumpsters filled to the brim with debris still sit tucked in the back of the parking lot.Dolan said those issues would be taken care of in the next week. Along with paying two additional months rent, KIPP will also compensate the church for a shed that it removed with the church’s permission, pay for a plumber to close off plumbing to the modular classrooms and pay for the removal of the modular units, along with final repairs to the parking lot.Dolan said all the work will be completed by Sept. 30 when a final walk through with Mercurio will take place.Mercurio said he was surprised by the way KIPP treated the church. He said they rented space to the charter school because he believed in its mission.”I still do,” he added. “They do a fantastic job.”However, he said, school leaders need to do a better job showing students how to live the mottoes that they teach.”They tell their students there are no shortcuts in life but they don’t practice that,” he said. “They took a year and a half to build a school but in two months they couldn’t remove the modulars?” Mercurio said. “They can teach kids words but if you don’t show them in action, it’s empty.”Mercurio admitted that what hurt most was a statement Dolan made referring to their former home at Holy Family as “a couple of grimy classrooms” and two old modular classrooms.”They were not grimy classrooms,” Mercurio said. “And if they became grimy they were responsible to maintain the church.”Dolan apologized for his statement, which he said was made amid the excitement of cutting the ribbon on the new KIPP Academy, a $26 million junior/senior high school at 90 High Rock St. He said he has nothing but respect and appreciation for the church and its place in the community.”We are incredibly grateful for everything the parish and Father (Mercurio) has done,” he said. “They were great partners in getting KIPP established here.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].