Woodland Dist. 50 board votes to keep air conditioning project going
A majority of Woodland Elementary District board members have declined to support a colleague who wanted to stop the installation of air conditioning at a school before the 2015-16 academic year.
By a 6-1 vote Tuesday night, the Gurnee-based District 50 board refused to rescind the $3.6 million deal with Siemens Corp. Plans call for the central cooling system to be in place by August at the Woodland Elementary East and West building in Gages Lake.
About 60 spectators, many of them Woodland teachers, applauded after each vote against canceling the project.
Woodland board member Terry Hall requested the motion to cancel the air-conditioning project for Tuesday's agenda. She was the lone vote in favor of halting the project, in part citing concerns about poor finances.
But board members Kellie Pappas, Carla Little and Tony DeMonte questioned why the subject arose at the meeting given the project is underway.
"I'm a little embarrassed this even made it on our agenda," DeMonte said.
Board President Chris Schrantz said Siemens already has started at Elementary East and West. He said Woodland has paid at least $1 million to Siemens since the contract was signed in March.
Board members approved the Elementary East and West air conditioning in late March.
On April 7, voters rejected a referendum question that sought permission for Woodland to have a temporary, one-year tax cap of 5 percent to generate enough money to air-condition the primary school on Gages Lake Road and pay for other capital improvements and technology upgrades districtwide.
Ken Arnold of Gurnee's Citizens for Responsible Government said during public comment time the ballot-box result was why the project at Elementary East and West should be scrapped.
Officials said existing revenue will be used for the Elementary East and West project. The work will involve installation of a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Proponents said there will be an immediate air quality improvement at Elementary East and West, which serve grades one through three.
Lack of air conditioning in school buildings has been an issue at other Lake County districts.
At Grayslake Elementary District 46, board members in April agreed to spend about $1.4 million to air-condition two schools. The new central chilling systems at Woodview and Meadowview schools, both in Grayslake, are expected to be ready for the 2015-16 academic year.
Lake Zurich Unit District 95 officials in 2014 approved an excessive-heat policy designed for school buildings without central air conditioning.
Five of eight District 95 buildings, all in Lake Zurich, don't have central air conditioning: Middle School South and Seth Paine, Isaac Fox, May Whitney and Sarah Adams elementary schools.