Time is money.
But that’s no surprise to anyone keeping tabs on the progress of the Community Unit School District 200 School Board, which has grappled with the Hubble Middle School issue for years now.
In an attempt to get a jump-start on the rebuilding process, the board is beginning to look at redistricting options and considering a proposal to spend $1.9 million to commission design plans prior to a referendum. The early blueprints could help put students in a new facility about a year earlier, but the district potentially could blow the money if voters don’t agree to shoulder the cost of a Hubble switch.
The move drew criticism from a few residents who said they weren’t willing to risk losing that hefty sum because referendum approval isn’t guaranteed. While board members haven’t ruled it out, a vote on giving a green light to architects was postponed March 14.
“We have no intention of pushing things through or appearing to push things through,” School Board Vice President Rosemary Swanson said.
She referenced upcoming elections, which will pit three incumbents against three challengers, saying the board will hold off on major decisions until voters have cast their ballots and decided on who should represent the community.
But that didn’t stop several residents from opposing the advance-design proposal during public comment.
“I’m deeply concerned and troubled about the project to transplant (Hubble). It’s been fraught with issues from the outset. This presumes voter approval before it happens,” said resident Firouz Tehrani, a certified public accountant. “If I did this, my staff would call me arrogant and irresponsible. ... We don’t have $2 million to waste.”
He said the referendum measure has a 50-50 change of passing.
“I implore you to set aside this contract and cease and desist until the voters have had a chance to speak,” Tehrani added.
Mark Stern, a School Board candidate, also spoke out against architects’ recommendations to start preliminary work.
“That’s 20 percent of the annual (operations and maintenance) budget. I don’t think this is a gamble worth taking,” said Stern, a member of EDUCATE 200, which has opposed district initiatives to relocate Hubble.
Patrick Brosnan, president and chief executive officer for Legat Architects, told board members that designs will take 10 to 12 months to complete with a staff of 25 to 30 professionals on board. If the district waits for the results of a referendum in February or March 2008 to proceed with blueprints, students wouldn’t be able to move into a new Hubble until August 2010. But if an accelerated schedule is approved, the occupancy date would be moved up a year.
Brosnan said staying ahead of inflation and paying up front would save the district $2.6 million, including $178,000 in reduced architect and engineering costs. Plus, the sooner the existing Hubble land is redeveloped, the sooner city bodies will profit from property and potentially sales taxes derived from the parcel.