Voters hold the key for new Naperville Central

If voters want a new Naperville Central High School, city council members say they're willing to help make it a reality.

But until there's a mandate from residents, the council this week told Naperville Unit District 203 officials, it's premature to talk about reshuffling parcels within the 212-acre Caroline Martin Mitchell property where the new school would be built.

"There's no sense for the council and the community to waste any time if the voters say no," Councilman Richard Furstenau said. "We're certainly not ready to endorse any land plans yet."

The school district hopes to decide by Nov. 19 whether to pursue a tax increase in early February. Officials are considering seeking money either to renovate the existing high school or to build an entirely new 500,000-square-foot structure on park land directly south of the current facility.

School board President Suzyn Price said the direction from the council is a cause for optimism.

"They said they would support what we would need if we got a referendum passed," she said Wednesday.

The council on Tuesday was presented with updated renderings of what might happen with the Martin Mitchell land if officials seek to build an entirely new high school, rather than renovate the existing building. That concerned some officials who said there hasn't been enough public input on the issue to discuss such broad-based plans concerning the Martin Mitchell property.

Councilman Grant Wehrli said it would be beneficial to continue holding public forums on future use of the land even if the school tax increase request fails.

"There's nothing wrong with having a parallel conversation to find out if there are things we could do to better utilize the space," he said. "We need public input on this regardless if the referendum passes."

The large parcel was deeded to the city by Caroline Martin Mitchell in 1936 and designated in her will for public use. The land houses the high school, Naper Settlement, Knoch Park, Naperville Cemetery, Sportsman's Park trapshooting range, park district garden plots and portions of the Edward Hospital campus.

"Her intentions were to provide land for the schools, and she divvied it up in ways she thought would carry it through," Furstenau said. "I'm sure if she were doing it today, she would make sure there was plenty of room for a high school no matter how much room that took up."

On the ballot

District 203 is currently exploring three options to make district-wide improvements to its facilities. Naperville Central has been a focal point of the talks because officials say the building is aging, outdated and overcrowded.

The district has until Dec. 3 to decide whether it will go to referendum in February. It has been gathering feedback from residents as to which plan they would support.

Of the 755 people who have responded so far, 70 percent say they would support building a new Central, 66 percent support a major renovation, and 29 percent support minor renovations. Some of those residents may have been counted in several demographic groups.

A facilities committee that studied the issue for several months last year recommended a major renovation to Central instead of a new building.

Superintendent Alan Leis said the next step for the district is to look at additional feedback from a telephone survey it is conducting this month.

Building a new high school via a February referendum would mean the district would have to persuade voters to approve a tax increase for a plan in which major details -- including the exact cost and land configuration -- have not been completely worked out.

Initial cost estimates to rebuild the school are about $130 million to $140 million, but those figures are based on building on the current site. The district does not yet know what a new school on Knoch Park would cost.

Other options for Central include a $72 million major renovation and a $6 million to $30 million minor renovation.

"That's the catch-22 here," Leis said. "In order to consider referendum, you have to have a site and a cost, and I guess all we could really do is project what those costs might be and get as much assurance as we can that it's feasible.

"What we need to be careful of is that we have enough details worked out that if we ask voters for a new high school that we can deliver on the site and for the costs."

Some critics have asked the district to delay a referendum until next November, after more review of how the Martin Mitchell land can best be used. But Price has said waiting could mean higher costs and some of the facility needs already have been waiting too long.

Other voices

Because so many different entities are affected by changes within the property, various groups have been quick to lend their opinions to the discussions. Many have concerns and believe those worries are falling on deaf ears.

Officials from the adjacent Emma Von Oven Scout Camp are worried the taxing bodies are trying to bully them out of their land, located in the northwest section of the study area.

"The park district is definitely interested in pushing their own agenda forward regardless of anyone else," said Jerry Stoeckigt, a camp board member. "They've offered use of park district properties, but they're not offering dedicated land like we have now and it's not close to a fair compromise."

Naperville Cemetery officials are worried about the impact of a proposed new road that would serve the school and the impact that would have on gravestones. Cliff Preston, vice president of the cemetery board, said bus exhaust emissions and water runoff would have negative affects on the property.

"I'm not happy with that plan at all," he said. "I think (the school district is) rushing into things that they don't really know what they're doing and I think they need to take more time."

Organizers of the Naperville Exchange Club's Ribfest, which would be displaced if the new school takes over Knoch Park, said they appreciate being thought of by planners. Space has been set aside in the new renderings for a community festival area.

"It's a little small, but that's not to say it doesn't have some merit," said Naperville Exchange Club President Mike McManus. "We would want to talk to both sides to see if we could eke out some more room somewhere else."