Facility Divestiture Mtg Notes

~70 people attended the RAS Facility Divestiture Informational mtg on 28Jan10. I'll link to the presentation if it is posted. Until then here are some notes I took, please contact me if I am incorrect in any statement and I will correct it.

Charge to committee

• Priority is for the best interest of the district
• Goal is to optimize the financial return

Facilities deemed as Surplus/Opportunities

• Olson and Pilgrim Ln Elementary can not be sold, awaiting Northport and Lakeview school build/renovate plans. Off short term divestiture plan for now.
• Northport and Lakeview plan options:
• 1. Demolish Northport and build new school on the site which is large enough to hold Northport and Lakeview students. Would require a capital levy vote.
• 2. Complete major remodel of both Northport and Lakeview. Would require use of district capital and alternative funding. (ie levy w/o vote)
• 3. Complete base remodel of Northport and Lakeview. Would require alternative funding, may be able to be done during Summers?
• Time frame was uncertain. Rebuilding took take yrs due to the required capital referendum required. Various rules regarding when vote can occur. RAS would hold surveys to see if it was likely to pass prior to putting it up for a vote.
• If 287 stopped using Hosterman, the building would not be worth maintaining just for the competition pool.
• New Hope Elementary taken off divestiture list. Needed for parking, play fields, wrestling, other programs, etc.
• No likely sale for Highview building, likely to be demolished. The church once looked at it, however did not pursue.

What goes into Sandburg?

• Current plan would be the Highview program (currently in Cavanagh), Adult Education from Winnetka Learning Center, 18-21 yr olds transition student program.
• These could move this Summer if 287 does not need the building. 287 program would only fit in Sandburg. They would not need that much space if they had smaller rooms, however the Middle school rooms are large so their program spreads out.

What about Cavanagh?

• It is getting old and expensive (age, Hwy 81 work reqd, etc)
• The ECFE/ECSE programs would likely be moved to New Hope Elementary
• District low cost renovation when they moved the Highview program their.
• Second minor fixup required due to a deal with the city.

What about Hosterman?

• No plans regarding who will demolish it. (RAS or 287) Still being negotiated.
• May need to upgrade the Sandburg pool to competition status? (no plan yet)
• No detailed site plan regarding how bus garage or new ESC would fit on the site.
• Some concerns that buses would primarily enter/exit to Winnetka Ave.

Other comments/questions

• Poor market for selling properties that would be used for residential.
• District/board are still unwilling to sell to any charter schools at this time.
• One attendee expressed that the school is probably worrying too much about who or what the properties will be used for. This was the duty of the City Boards and Planning personnel.
• Another lived near Hosterman and did not to look at a bus garage or the buses.
• The Divestiture committee is expected to give a proposal to the board Spring/Fall 2010

My questions were:

• If we do not put "For Sale" signs up on the properties, how will we ever truly know how much they are worth and who wants to buy them?
• If we delay this longer and do not raise the capital for remodelling Northport and Lakeview by selling these properties, are we going to Alternative Financing to raise taxes / capital?
• My points were acknowledged.

Small Groups:

• The mtg then broke into smaller groups and discussed concerns regarding individual properties.
• Opinion... It seemed most of the attendees were administrators, board members, Divestiture committee members or people that lives near a property in question.