The Facilities Planning Committee began planning “Phase II” of the school construction plan last night, but I could not concentrate. Part of it was brain-deadness because these meetings run too darn long, part of it was shock. Here’s why: No matter what we do to cut construction costs, we will still not come under the $110 million referendum limit because District 428 must also build a road.
That’s right. According to Assistant Superintendant Andrea Gorla, the agreement with the developer who sold the land for the new high school includes covering 50% of the cost of building a 3-lane piece of Wildflower Lane that will someday run north of Dresser Road.
This being only the second FPC meeting I’ve attended, I haven’t the slightest as to whether this is old news or new news; but if it is new, why is it new?
Another attendee suggested (after the meeting) that the District might try to talk the city into building the road. Well, the city is going to be up to its eyeballs in trouble with the taxpayers when word gets around that the way it “balances” its annual budget appears to consist of a strategic push of the shortfall onto next year’s tab, but it may be a good argument for two reasons: 1) There seems to be no inkling among any on the Council that anything is wrong; and 2) Alderman Ron “Here, take this and let me know if you want more” Naylor serves on FPC.