The Head Start Center is still in operation at 239 Garfield, directly adjacent to the buildings to be torn down.
Jay Ann Cox | El Defensor Chieftain

As soon as next month, the unused buildings of Torres Elementary, on 239 Garfield Avenue, will be demolished. The site had become an eyesore to the neighborhood and a burden on the school district, according to Ron Hendrix, school superintendent for Socorro Consolidated Schools.

Hendrix said last week that demolition plans for Torres had finally been approved and funded.

Asbestos abatement has been underway, and the electrical systems are being removed to make demolition as safe as possible for the workers and the surrounding neighborhood.

Hendrix also said that the final demolition will be in the next three to four weeks.

After Parkview Elementary opened in 1998, the first through fifth grades began attending that school. The kindergarten students stayed at Torres until 2008. After that time, the school was used for adult education and Civil Air Patrol meetings.

Head Start moved in shortly after that, and today is still in operation in the building that faces Garfield Avenue.

Hendrix said that since the empty buildings were boarded up, there has been damage by vandals, fires and other hazards.

Future plans for the site remain undecided but the district will start its five-year master plan this month, and Hendrix said the fate of that location will probably be under consideration.

Jay Ann Cox, El Defensor Chieftain Editor