Post by doctorwho on May 10, 2007 6:48:10 GMT -6
This is a clearer explanation than the last article -
doesn't sound to me like they are keeping things from us as they were updated again 2 days ago.............this is pretty clear the timeline is still set for 2009.
Anyone still working to delay this, IMHO, is potentially costing all of us millions.
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/379235,6_1_NA10_204SCHOOL_S1.article
Metea Valley on target for '09 - but alternatives are in place
Property lawsuit could delay project, cost district millions
May 10, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
Despite a handful of construction timelines, the doors of Metea Valley High School are still set to open in fall 2009.
However, some parts of the school might still be under construction depending on a variety of scenarios, said Jim Clair of Turner Construction, the firm hired for the project.
"All the academics will be done and the gymnasium," Clair said. "The pool, auditorium and maybe some industrial arts areas may come later."
Kathy Birkett, assistant superintendent of secondary education, said accommodations can be made.
"We might have to be creative with some classroom space or put industrial arts in areas that wouldn't typically have that," Birkett said. "It wouldn't be perfect, but we would still be ready to go."
Birkett said arrangements for swimming would be made with Neuqua Valley or Waubonsie Valley high schools until the pool was completed.
The timing of the school opening depends on several factors, including whether the district is granted "quick-take" authority by the state Legislature. If it is granted the one-time-use authority, it could take immediate possession of the remaining 55 acres it needs to build Metea Valley. That move also would save the district about $8.5 million in escalating construction costs, Superintendent Howie Crouse said.
The district plans to build Metea Valley on 80 acres of the Brach-Brodie property. The district owns 25 of those acres and has filed a condemnation lawsuit for the adjacent 55 acres. The land is along 75th Street and the future extension of Commons Drive in Aurora.
The condemnation lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in September, which pushes back the construction schedule about a year.
Birkett gave board members an update Tuesday on the status of the project, costs and timelines.
Saving money
The projected costs of the building range from $132 million to $140 million, depending on when construction starts and when it needs to be completed.
Crouse said administrators, Turner Construction and the architectural firm of DLR have been exploring every option to find ways to save money.
Dave Holm, assistant superintendent of business and finance, said the district can take advantage of about $13 million in extra funds from a combination of interest on bonds, land cash donations and leftover construction monies from other projects.
He also said additional options for funding include asking voters to approve another referendum or depleting existing operational funds for the project; however, neither of those is recommended.
Time for change?
Crouse said the district has looked into switching sites and changing the architectural design.
"When we change things at this point in the game, it means starting over with the city of Aurora or another city where the new site would be," he said. "With that we can't guarantee even a March 2008 start date. As it is now, we have everything ready with the city of Aurora that when we get the land, we are poised to move quickly."
As for design changes, Crouse said they would have a dramatic impact on the flow of students through the building.
"We are not recommending changes on the design side," Crouse said. "We are not looking at eliminating portions of the building or limiting the scope of the plan. We think we have significant options to make this work."
Contact Britt Carson at bcarson@scn1.com or 630-416-5269.
doesn't sound to me like they are keeping things from us as they were updated again 2 days ago.............this is pretty clear the timeline is still set for 2009.
Anyone still working to delay this, IMHO, is potentially costing all of us millions.
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/379235,6_1_NA10_204SCHOOL_S1.article
Metea Valley on target for '09 - but alternatives are in place
Property lawsuit could delay project, cost district millions
May 10, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
Despite a handful of construction timelines, the doors of Metea Valley High School are still set to open in fall 2009.
However, some parts of the school might still be under construction depending on a variety of scenarios, said Jim Clair of Turner Construction, the firm hired for the project.
"All the academics will be done and the gymnasium," Clair said. "The pool, auditorium and maybe some industrial arts areas may come later."
Kathy Birkett, assistant superintendent of secondary education, said accommodations can be made.
"We might have to be creative with some classroom space or put industrial arts in areas that wouldn't typically have that," Birkett said. "It wouldn't be perfect, but we would still be ready to go."
Birkett said arrangements for swimming would be made with Neuqua Valley or Waubonsie Valley high schools until the pool was completed.
The timing of the school opening depends on several factors, including whether the district is granted "quick-take" authority by the state Legislature. If it is granted the one-time-use authority, it could take immediate possession of the remaining 55 acres it needs to build Metea Valley. That move also would save the district about $8.5 million in escalating construction costs, Superintendent Howie Crouse said.
The district plans to build Metea Valley on 80 acres of the Brach-Brodie property. The district owns 25 of those acres and has filed a condemnation lawsuit for the adjacent 55 acres. The land is along 75th Street and the future extension of Commons Drive in Aurora.
The condemnation lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in September, which pushes back the construction schedule about a year.
Birkett gave board members an update Tuesday on the status of the project, costs and timelines.
Saving money
The projected costs of the building range from $132 million to $140 million, depending on when construction starts and when it needs to be completed.
Crouse said administrators, Turner Construction and the architectural firm of DLR have been exploring every option to find ways to save money.
Dave Holm, assistant superintendent of business and finance, said the district can take advantage of about $13 million in extra funds from a combination of interest on bonds, land cash donations and leftover construction monies from other projects.
He also said additional options for funding include asking voters to approve another referendum or depleting existing operational funds for the project; however, neither of those is recommended.
Time for change?
Crouse said the district has looked into switching sites and changing the architectural design.
"When we change things at this point in the game, it means starting over with the city of Aurora or another city where the new site would be," he said. "With that we can't guarantee even a March 2008 start date. As it is now, we have everything ready with the city of Aurora that when we get the land, we are poised to move quickly."
As for design changes, Crouse said they would have a dramatic impact on the flow of students through the building.
"We are not recommending changes on the design side," Crouse said. "We are not looking at eliminating portions of the building or limiting the scope of the plan. We think we have significant options to make this work."
Contact Britt Carson at bcarson@scn1.com or 630-416-5269.
So you are saying to the taxpayers at all costs??? They only have a certain amount to work with is my understanding. Anything above that cost would be tacked onto the 2009 referendum.