How St. Charles District 303 will decide if it really needs to borrow $20M

St. Charles school board members this week voted to proceed with a $20 million borrowing plan to finance middle school improvements, a new football field and upgrades to the Norris Recreation Center. The board also agreed to avoid borrowing the full amount if possible.

The actual borrowing, through a bond sale, will occur Feb. 2. With the cash in hand, the district can proceed with the closure of Haines Middle School and upgrades to Thompson and Wredling middle schools to accommodate additional students.

That part of the plan will require $15 million of the bond money. The school board will need more than that to complete the rest of its to-do list.

Discussions by some of the board members last week indicated some preference to spend $1.2 million to bring an artificial turf field to St. Charles North High School. The turf would replace a natural grass field plagued by bad soil and drainage problems that make it unusable much of the school year.

If the district locks in the artificial turf plan, the need to borrow money jumps to $16.2 million.

District officials will present construction bid results Jan. 26 for the Norris upgrades. At that point, the school board should have a feel for the actual need to borrow up to $20 million.

In 2014 the nonprofit board that ran the Norris Recreation Center suggested $2 million in upgrades. That board dissolved shortly after making the pitch. In November 2015, school district staff members said the recreation center needs between $2.2 million and $5 million in improvements. That estimate came before the park district took over operations of the facility and the pool became a separate legal entity.

School board members will make any final adjustments in the borrowing plan at the January meeting.

"This is a significant moment for us," school board President Kathy Hewell said before authorizing up to $20 million in borrowing. "The board spent a lot of time thinking about what we are going to do and how we are going to pay for it."