Central rebuild would require swapping land
Naperville Unit District 203 unveiled three options Monday for rebuilding Naperville Central High School that require land swaps with the city and park district.
Superintendent Alan Leis told the school board rebuilding the school on its current site is simply not feasible and voters need more information about possible locations if the district does decide a new building is needed.
"It became clear I think to all of us ... in the last few weeks that given the numbers and given the feedback we're receiving that we need to be much more explicit about identifying where that building would go because there's no way to identify what the costs might be or what we might expect voters to help us with if we weren't able to identify a site and cost the building," he said.
Rebuilding the high school, initially projected to cost $130 million to $140 million, is one of three possibilities for Central along with either a major renovation for $72 million or minor renovations for $6 million to $30 million.
Of the 755 people who gave the district feedback as to their preferences, about 70 percent say they support a rebuild, 66 percent support a major renovation and 29 percent support minor renovations. However, the numbers are not scientific and don't take into account people who may have been counted with several demographic groups. A phone survey is under way to gather additional input.
Central is located on the former Caroline Martin Mitchell estate. Martin Mitchell donated the 212 acres to the city in 1936 and it is shared by a variety of groups. For the past year, these groups have been meeting to determine whether the land should be reconfigured to make better use of the site.
The school district has three possible visions for the land if it decides to pursue a new building for Central.
Option C1 calls for a new Central on Knoch Park with a concourse extending over Hillside Avenue that connects to the current building. The current building would become the school's athletic, arts and technology wing. This option allows the district to save money by keeping its current pool and auditorium. However, it would require a major land swap with the park district and Ribfest and the garden plots would have to find new sites.
Options C2 and C3 both call for a new Central entirely on Knoch Park. However in C2, the current Central building would be turned into a park district recreation center and most of the land west of West Street would become festival grounds, forcing the Von Oven Scout Reservation and Sportsman's Club to relocate. However, Leis said the park district is concerned about the cost of taking over the current Central building so this option may not be feasible.
In Option C3, Central would be rebuilt on Knoch Park and the current building would be torn down. That space would then become a festival area, which could also be used for athletics. The scout camp and Sportsman's Club would likely keep their land.
Board members seemed to agree that C2 presented the most challenges and they would likely prefer the other two options if the district decides to rebuild. However, costs have not yet been determined for any of the three plans.
School board President Suzyn Price will present the three options for a Central rebuild to the city council tonight and is also involved in ongoing discussions with the park district for feedback.
The school board plans will meet again Nov. 5 for a work session to discuss the latest options and input. It is currently scheduled to make a decision on which district-wide plan to pursue at its Nov. 19 meeting. If it wants to seek a Feb. 5 referendum, the district will have to make a decision by Dec. 3.