Post by 204parent on Oct 30, 2006 16:11:18 GMT -6
It's nice to see the senior Naperville officials supporting education, but have they ever made any statements supporting 204?
I think it's time for a letter to the Mayor reminding him that not all of his constituents live in district 203!!!
Move or rebuild - that is the question
October 27, 2006
By Tim Waldorfstaff writer
Not to answer a question with a question, but exactly what Naperville School District 203 will do with Naperville Central High School now appears to depend upon what the entire Naperville community wants to do with the 212-acre Caroline Martin Mitchell bequest.
The 26-acre Naperville Central campus is part of that property. So are Naper Settlement, Knoch Park, Sportsman's Park, the Naperville Park District's Community Garden Plots, the majority of Naperville Cemetery and even parts of Edward Hospital.
Prompted by recent discussions regarding the possible rebuilding of Naperville Central, representatives from District 203, the city of Naperville, the Park District, Naper Settlement and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce met Thursday to discuss the future of all the public property surrounding the school.
And after an hour and a half, they left the meeting with an agreement.
Within the next week, city officials will draft about a dozen questions for the governing bodies of each of the stakeholders to consider. The parties' responses to those questions will be compiled in a report identifying the various needs of each entity. From there, the parties can begin to discuss their options.
Burning questionsMust Naperville Central stay put, or could it move somewhere else - either within the bequeathed property's borders or, perhaps, beyond them?What about Sportsman's Park or the Community Garden Plots? Can they be relocated, or are they "sacred cows?"
Can a reorganization of the property result in better venues for some of the city's festivals, or, in the end, will all parties conclude that the area just isn't appropriate for large, outdoor events?
"The question might be if we were to look at a grander vision of the Caroline Martin Mitchell property, what needs and issues would your organization have in looking at that?" District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis said.It is widely held that Martin Mitchell created a wonderful legacy when she left all that property to Naperville. But now, 70 years after her death, the city might need to re-evaluate how that land is being used, Leis said.
"The big question that we are asking the community is, 15 or 30 years from now, will the people that are living in Naperville then look back and say, 'Boy, they sure made the right decision,' whatever the decision is," he said. "Will we be able to look back and say, 'Did we do the right thing?'"
Land swap?District 203 is considering ways to solve the myriad of facility problems it faces at Naperville Central. The district's facilities task force has come to a preliminary consensus that the best way to solve Central's problems is to build a new, three-story, $105 million to $125 million school on the same 26-acre site as early as 2010 and do it while continuing to teach classes in the existing facility.But board member Gerry Cassioppi, who pushed to convene the meeting, said building a new Central "across the street" in Knoch Park could shave $10 million off construction costs because Central's stadium could be salvaged.
Therefore, District 203 representatives want to know if a land swap with the Park District could be arranged - a trade that would "keep them whole, but just sort of rearrange the entities on the land," Leis said.
Leis also said the district leases part of Central's athletic fields from Naperville Cemetery, which has indicated that it does not want the district to renew the lease when it expires in 2009.City Manager Peter Burchard said while everyone in the room had something at stake, it was clear that District 203 was "the 800-pound gorilla in the room," and that its needs would - and probably should - drive the discussion."I appreciate the idea, the concept of sharing what needs each of us may have," he said. "But I just think that the only way to move this thing to something that people can, in fact, digest and understand is for the schools to tell us what you want."Mayor George Pradel agreed.
"I think 203 has got to step forward because their project is uppermost in the city," he said.
Contact Tim Waldorf at 630-416-5270 or twaldorf@scn1.com.
I think it's time for a letter to the Mayor reminding him that not all of his constituents live in district 203!!!
Move or rebuild - that is the question
October 27, 2006
By Tim Waldorfstaff writer
Not to answer a question with a question, but exactly what Naperville School District 203 will do with Naperville Central High School now appears to depend upon what the entire Naperville community wants to do with the 212-acre Caroline Martin Mitchell bequest.
The 26-acre Naperville Central campus is part of that property. So are Naper Settlement, Knoch Park, Sportsman's Park, the Naperville Park District's Community Garden Plots, the majority of Naperville Cemetery and even parts of Edward Hospital.
Prompted by recent discussions regarding the possible rebuilding of Naperville Central, representatives from District 203, the city of Naperville, the Park District, Naper Settlement and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce met Thursday to discuss the future of all the public property surrounding the school.
And after an hour and a half, they left the meeting with an agreement.
Within the next week, city officials will draft about a dozen questions for the governing bodies of each of the stakeholders to consider. The parties' responses to those questions will be compiled in a report identifying the various needs of each entity. From there, the parties can begin to discuss their options.
Burning questionsMust Naperville Central stay put, or could it move somewhere else - either within the bequeathed property's borders or, perhaps, beyond them?What about Sportsman's Park or the Community Garden Plots? Can they be relocated, or are they "sacred cows?"
Can a reorganization of the property result in better venues for some of the city's festivals, or, in the end, will all parties conclude that the area just isn't appropriate for large, outdoor events?
"The question might be if we were to look at a grander vision of the Caroline Martin Mitchell property, what needs and issues would your organization have in looking at that?" District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis said.It is widely held that Martin Mitchell created a wonderful legacy when she left all that property to Naperville. But now, 70 years after her death, the city might need to re-evaluate how that land is being used, Leis said.
"The big question that we are asking the community is, 15 or 30 years from now, will the people that are living in Naperville then look back and say, 'Boy, they sure made the right decision,' whatever the decision is," he said. "Will we be able to look back and say, 'Did we do the right thing?'"
Land swap?District 203 is considering ways to solve the myriad of facility problems it faces at Naperville Central. The district's facilities task force has come to a preliminary consensus that the best way to solve Central's problems is to build a new, three-story, $105 million to $125 million school on the same 26-acre site as early as 2010 and do it while continuing to teach classes in the existing facility.But board member Gerry Cassioppi, who pushed to convene the meeting, said building a new Central "across the street" in Knoch Park could shave $10 million off construction costs because Central's stadium could be salvaged.
Therefore, District 203 representatives want to know if a land swap with the Park District could be arranged - a trade that would "keep them whole, but just sort of rearrange the entities on the land," Leis said.
Leis also said the district leases part of Central's athletic fields from Naperville Cemetery, which has indicated that it does not want the district to renew the lease when it expires in 2009.City Manager Peter Burchard said while everyone in the room had something at stake, it was clear that District 203 was "the 800-pound gorilla in the room," and that its needs would - and probably should - drive the discussion."I appreciate the idea, the concept of sharing what needs each of us may have," he said. "But I just think that the only way to move this thing to something that people can, in fact, digest and understand is for the schools to tell us what you want."Mayor George Pradel agreed.
"I think 203 has got to step forward because their project is uppermost in the city," he said.
Contact Tim Waldorf at 630-416-5270 or twaldorf@scn1.com.
