SHS candidates, officials in dispute over library project

Three candidates for the Stevenson High School District 125 board are criticizing the current reconstruction of the school’s library as wasteful spending, comparing the plans to a Starbucks coffee shop.

Kim Brady, Charles Cardella and Kathy Powell — challengers running as a team for the Lincolnshire-based board — have blasted the $2.6 million project in literature and on their Facebook page.

The trio calls the project a “$2 million cup of coffee” on a campaign flier, next to a photograph of a cup of coffee. On Facebook, they refer to it as “unnecessary library renovations.”

Officials at the Lincolnshire school, however, said the space is being renovated to create a library that more closely resembles what students will encounter when they go to college.

It also will allow students to work in small groups and more easily use modern technology, such as tablet and laptop computers, said Terry Moons, a board member and candidate running against Brady’s group. The existing library dates back to 1965 and doesn’t have electrical outlets for such devices, Moons said.

“This improves access for student learning,” Moons said.

Seven candidates are running for four seats on the board. All four seats have 4-year terms.

Running on a slate opposing Brady, Cardella and Powell are incumbents Moons, Bruce Lubin and Merv Roberts, along with newcomer David Weisberg.

Since the start of the campaign, the challengers have criticized how the current board has managed the district’s money.

Although the district recently was recognized for prudent financial management by the Illinois State Board of Education, the challengers have said the board is wasting money and collects too much tax revenue.

They’ve promised to cut costs and targeted the library renovation as an example of bad spending.

Construction on the project began in February and is set to be completed in August. It followed about two years of planning, officials said.

The project will combine the existing Stevenson library and a separate learning center into a single, two-story area that more closely resembles college or public libraries, officials said. It will feature study rooms, lounge-style seating designed to encourage student reading, more individual seating and more computer stations than before, officials have said.

The project is being funded with money from the district’s savings, officials said.

In their literature, the challengers took issue with the “wider stairs, nicer lighting and more study rooms” that are part of the plan. The flier calls the planned facility a “Starbucks experience.”

“Should we add a barista and cappuccino machine?” the flier asks.

A coffee shop is not planned for the space, Moons said. That concept was discussed and rejected because of the costs required, she said.

“This is not a Starbucks experience,” Moons said.

In a telephone interview Friday, Cardella said he and his team likened the project to a Starbucks because he once heard Superintendent Eric Twadell make that comparison.

In a separate interview, Brady said he and his allies found very little information about the project during the planning process. He asked if its scope is appropriate.

“Does it have to be $2 million?” Brady said. “Can it be $1.5 million? Can it be $1 million?”

Brady also questioned the timing of the renovation, saying it may not be right at a time when many families are struggling financially.

Stevenson Assistant Superintendent for Business Mark Michelini defended the effort.

“Unlike other districts (that) postpone projects and allow their facilities to fall into disrepair, Stevenson budgets annually for capital improvements that are both timely and cost-efficient,” Michelini wrote in an e-mail.