Naperville schools, parks climb aboard civic campus study
Naperville's city council, park and school boards have each agreed to pay $15,300 for consultants to formulate possible reconfigurations of the former Caroline Martin Mitchell estate.
Houseal Lavigne Associates in Naperville will develop potential plans for the property near Aurora Avenue and West Street to create a "civic campus" that connects each of the groups on the property and makes the best use of the space.
"Imagine a site where the property lines are not evident, and paths and walkways connect parks to museums to hospitals and schools," the company said in its preliminary report.
Both the park district board and the Naperville Unit District 203 school board unanimously approved paying for the consulting services at Thursday meetings. The city council approved the fees earlier this week.
"(It is) in keeping with the board's intent to try to look for cooperative solutions and ways to work better with our neighbors and other governmental entities," school Superintendent Alan Leis said.
Martin Mitchell donated the 212 acres to the city in 1936. In addition to Naperville Central High School, the land houses Knoch Park, Naper Settlement, Naperville Sportsman's Club, community garden plots, Naperville Cemetery and part of the Edward Hospital campus.
In light of Naperville Unit District 203's hopes to renovate or rebuild Central, leaders from each entity have been meeting for months to discuss the site as a whole.
The school district is exploring three potential plans for Naperville Central, including a new school for about $140 million and major renovations for $72 million. Both of these plans would require a referendum.
If the district does not seek a referendum or a referendum fails, it would spend $6 million to $30 million to do minor renovations on the school.
Houseal Lavigne has been studying the property free of charge since February and interviewing agencies with a direct stake in the land. But the company is now charging the school district, park district and city council $15,300 each to develop a master plan.
Its preliminary report suggests that almost all groups involved in the property are interested in taking part in a reconfiguration.
At Thursday's park board meeting, one resident asked that the land west of West Street be taken out of the plan, but the board noted that it didn't want to handcuff the consultants by imposing such restrictions.
Likewise, when the city council approved the consultant fees earlier this week, some said they don't support closing Hillside Road as the school district has proposed but agreed to leave it as part of the study. At that meeting, Councilman Richard Furstenau also suggested the city pay the entire $45,900, but that suggestion failed.
The school board has asked that consulting work be complete by Oct. 1 so that it can make a final decision on a facility plan for the district in November.
"Timing is very much an issue for us," school board President Suzyn Price said. "We have a facility that needs some attention, significant attention."