Post by wvhsparent on Sept 17, 2006 6:48:15 GMT -6
I wonder who got to him???
Things that Naperville might not mention in maintaining lofty status
John Zimmerman
Posted Sunday, September 17, 2006
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” — starting with Naperville.
At least that’s what many in Naperville probably think. People who live there have a high opinion of their city. And hey, it’s a very nice place to live. Even Money magazine thinks so. It lists Naperville as the second best place to live in America. The only other place in the country where people have trouble clearing doorways because of heads puffed up with pride is Fort Collins, Colo. That’s because it’s the very best place to live, according to Money magazine.
But being the second best in all of the U.S. (and you can bet Naperville isn’t going to settle for that) is quite a burden to assume. When you are striving for perfection, you sure don’t want the Money magazine editors reading some of the news about Naperville in the past few days.
No doubt, Naperville has those great schools touted by Money magazine. But the people running some of those schools might want to comb that same publication for lessons in financial management.
Indian Prairie Unit District 204 persuaded voters to raise their taxes to build a new high school at a cost of $82.5 million.
At least, that is what it used to cost. Superintendent Howard Crouse now says the new school building is over budget. He offers that the undisclosed overage is “not insurmountable.”
Just as the school district is hoping that obstacles in the way of getting the land upon which the school would be built are not insurmountable. District 204 has money for a new school but as of today, it might as well be planning to build it as a wing to the International Space Station because everything’s that much up in the air.
The 55 acres the school district has in mind for the high school is in legal limbo. The owners want this much money and the school district will only give them that much. So the district filed a condemnation suit in December. And now it has asked for the state to give it quick-take powers over the land.
Yep, it might be a pretty good idea to get that land quick. After all, the school is supposed to be done by fall of 2009, and one construction season is already nearing a snowy end.
Now we can’t go to the bank and ask for $300,000 for a new house and tell the bank that we’ll get around to securing the land for the house later. The loan officer will tell you not to let the door hit your dumb butt on the way out.
But I guess when it’s the public sector, which you know gets to play by a whole different set of rules of finance and accountability than the private sector, you could go out and get money for a school without being sure if you have the land in which to dig the foundation. And you’ll just expect to be forgiven if, say, the jury ruling on the fair price of for the land, and all the lawyer bills, makes the high school project even that much more above the promised bottom line.
Then there is Naperville’s financially beleaguered Millennium Carillon. It has been saved from white elephant status only by putting it in a public sanctuary at a cost of $3.3 million. That is what the city has agreed to pay over 10 years from its tax-supported Special Events and Cultural Amenities Fund to bail out the private organization that had been running the Carillon but couldn't raise the money necessary to complete the project. Adding to the tab, the Naperville City Council a few days ago agreed to pay off a $200,000 bank loan that was used to help build the bell tower.
Guess it just goes to show you that all communities can make mistakes — even those that are the second best place to live in all of the land.
If this is taken as laying it on thick on Naperville, at least it’s not as smug as the observation of the city once made by the mayor of bordering Bolingbrook. He mocked people of Naperville who buy upscale homes beyond their financial means.
“What’s the difference between a Bolingbrook home and a Naperville home?” asked Mayor Roger Claar. “A Bolingbrook home has furniture.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dailyherald.com
Things that Naperville might not mention in maintaining lofty status
John Zimmerman
Posted Sunday, September 17, 2006
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” — starting with Naperville.
At least that’s what many in Naperville probably think. People who live there have a high opinion of their city. And hey, it’s a very nice place to live. Even Money magazine thinks so. It lists Naperville as the second best place to live in America. The only other place in the country where people have trouble clearing doorways because of heads puffed up with pride is Fort Collins, Colo. That’s because it’s the very best place to live, according to Money magazine.
But being the second best in all of the U.S. (and you can bet Naperville isn’t going to settle for that) is quite a burden to assume. When you are striving for perfection, you sure don’t want the Money magazine editors reading some of the news about Naperville in the past few days.
No doubt, Naperville has those great schools touted by Money magazine. But the people running some of those schools might want to comb that same publication for lessons in financial management.
Indian Prairie Unit District 204 persuaded voters to raise their taxes to build a new high school at a cost of $82.5 million.
At least, that is what it used to cost. Superintendent Howard Crouse now says the new school building is over budget. He offers that the undisclosed overage is “not insurmountable.”
Just as the school district is hoping that obstacles in the way of getting the land upon which the school would be built are not insurmountable. District 204 has money for a new school but as of today, it might as well be planning to build it as a wing to the International Space Station because everything’s that much up in the air.
The 55 acres the school district has in mind for the high school is in legal limbo. The owners want this much money and the school district will only give them that much. So the district filed a condemnation suit in December. And now it has asked for the state to give it quick-take powers over the land.
Yep, it might be a pretty good idea to get that land quick. After all, the school is supposed to be done by fall of 2009, and one construction season is already nearing a snowy end.
Now we can’t go to the bank and ask for $300,000 for a new house and tell the bank that we’ll get around to securing the land for the house later. The loan officer will tell you not to let the door hit your dumb butt on the way out.
But I guess when it’s the public sector, which you know gets to play by a whole different set of rules of finance and accountability than the private sector, you could go out and get money for a school without being sure if you have the land in which to dig the foundation. And you’ll just expect to be forgiven if, say, the jury ruling on the fair price of for the land, and all the lawyer bills, makes the high school project even that much more above the promised bottom line.
Then there is Naperville’s financially beleaguered Millennium Carillon. It has been saved from white elephant status only by putting it in a public sanctuary at a cost of $3.3 million. That is what the city has agreed to pay over 10 years from its tax-supported Special Events and Cultural Amenities Fund to bail out the private organization that had been running the Carillon but couldn't raise the money necessary to complete the project. Adding to the tab, the Naperville City Council a few days ago agreed to pay off a $200,000 bank loan that was used to help build the bell tower.
Guess it just goes to show you that all communities can make mistakes — even those that are the second best place to live in all of the land.
If this is taken as laying it on thick on Naperville, at least it’s not as smug as the observation of the city once made by the mayor of bordering Bolingbrook. He mocked people of Naperville who buy upscale homes beyond their financial means.
“What’s the difference between a Bolingbrook home and a Naperville home?” asked Mayor Roger Claar. “A Bolingbrook home has furniture.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dailyherald.com
