Geneva library board OKs more funds for school demolition
The Geneva Public Library District board on Thursday agreed to spend up to $100,000 more for the demolition of the old Sixth Street School, where it may build a new library.
The board also amended its contract with Kane County to increase what it's paying for the site from $1.5 million to $1.8 million, plus two-thirds of the demolition costs that come in at more than $300,000 but less than $450,000.
The library originally had agreed to buy the school for $1.5 million from the county, which has owned it since 1989, and pay up to $300,000 toward the demolition, with an option to back out of the purchase if the cost was higher.
The cost did go higher. The county board approved contracts March 10, totaling $447,000, to raze the building. The costs of removing asbestos-containing materials and an underground fuel-storage tank drove up the price, according to Don Biggs, the county's operations director.
The main building was constructed in 1924, and additions were made in 1939.
Monday night, the Geneva City Council gave the county permission to raze the building, overruling the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission's refusal to approve a demolition permit.
The Historic Preservation Commission said the county didn't meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standard 1 for changes to buildings located in a nationally registered historic district such as Geneva's. That standard says “every reasonable effort shall be made to provide a compatible use for a property which requires minimal alteration ...”
The commission said the county hadn't proved the building couldn't be adapted for other uses, especially since it is currently housing the offices of the Kane County Regional Office of Education.
Kane County has to clear one more hurdle before it can demolish the former school, however: A review of Geneva's decision by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
David Halpin, cultural resources manager for the agency, has 30 days, once he has had all his questions answered, to issue a decision about whether the demolition is allowed.
“We've heard from an awful lot of people” about Geneva's decision, he said.
State 65th District Rep. Steve Andersson says he will keep an eye on the process for the county and the city.
Andersson is a former Geneva library trustee who opposed the library's plan to buy another site, the former Cetron factory on Richards Street. His wife, Nanette, sits on the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission and voted to deny the demolition.