District 304 wants your input on facilities

Submitted by Geneva Unit District 304

The Geneva Unit District 304 Board of Education will hold two community forums in June to receive input on the future of the Coultrap facility on Peyton Street and the administrative building on Fourth Street.

In May, district officials presented board members with four options for the Coultrap facility, which has not been used as a school since the 2008-09 school year. Three options would relocate the district’s administrative offices on Fourth Street to this facility and would require major repairs/renovations to exterior walls, plumbing and electrical systems with costs ranging from $2,317,000 to $4,277,000.

These three options would then have an impact on the future of the Fourth Street building. The fourth option presented is to demolish the building at an estimated cost of $861,813 and maintain the district’s administrative offices at the Fourth Street facility.

It currently costs $69,000 annually to operate Coultrap at a minimal level, and within the next three to five years the building will require major repairs estimated to cost $1,200,000 to $1,600,000 to bring it to proper working order.

The Superintendent’s Facility Task Force has recommended that the building be demolished, but board members would like input from neighbors and the community prior to making a decision.

The forums will be at 7 p.m. Monday, June 18, at the Coultrap facility, 1113 Peyton St. (use the Lincoln Street entrance); and 9 a.m. Saturday, June 23, at Williamsburg Elementary School, 1812 Williamsburg Ave.

Those who are unable to attend the forums to provide comments may also do so through a comment form placed on the district website, www.geneva304.org. This form can be reached beginning June 12 through the news section on the homepage, or by clicking on “Board of Education.”

Community members are also welcome to provide comments to the board via email at board@geneva304.org.