The ground-breaking for District 204's third high school was originally slated for mid-April. In today's Sun (Tues., 3.25) the district's superintendent, Dr. Stephen Daeschner, is quoted: "... I think we need to be on land, moving dirt, by absolutely the middle of April. We'd like to be on it sooner. We've set things up. We've got contracts in preparation for that, but if we can't do that, then we really begin to run into a little trouble." With the middle of April just over two weeks away and the environmental studies on the Eola/Molitor Rd. site still unreleased, it looks like the ground-breaking now may not happen in mid-April. That means that the district, in Daeschner's words, has "run into a little trouble." The question is two-fold: When will the public see the environmental studies of the site and when will ground be broken? The comment lines are open.
P.S.: Don't forget to vote in our new poll up on the home page. It asks the same question that some bloggers have already posed: Does District 204 need a third high school? The answers are a simple yes or no.
Ready on time? August 2009? Oh yeah? Highly unlikely!
Metzger and the rest of the board will toss millions of the tax payers dollars at contractors who will gladly take it. When it is not on time, the board and the contractors will say they did there very best but, everything was against them and it just did not happen. $8-10 million later (extra $ paid to contractors), it opens in 2010. What a joke of a President and Super D we have. What a waste! Can we start to impeach the board now or after they p?ss away 150 million dollars or more.
Oh yeah, and in 2010 here is what 204 will get. A school partially completed, kids dodging bull dozers, trucks, lumber, etc. School girls being harrassed by construction workers. Like teachers, will these construction workers get back ground checks? Who knows and that is scary! No gym, pool, auditorium, etc.
Sounds like a good high school experience to me. Good times and good memories. It should be a real plus for 2004 to put kids in a situation like that. Very well done 204!
How can they start moving dirt when they don't know how much BB is going to cost?
A better question is WHY would they start moving dirt without knowing all of the costs?
I can't see the school being ready by August '09.
I've read dozens of Phase II reports, something must be going on for it not to be released.
In today's article, Mark Metzger dismissed the notion that the delay means bad news. He is quoted as saying
"I am quite certain that those that have a negative opinion of the situation are spinning this with much glee," he said.
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I don't know if I can take any more of this gibberish! I am hardly "full of GLEE" at this situation NOR at the thought of a potentially hazardous site NOR barreling forward making additional costly mistakes... with our children!
This is NOT a PR campaign the community is engaged in - but it seems Mr. Metzger thinks it is. We are NOT FULL OF GLEE - We are CONCERNED (1) about how important it seems to Mr. Metger that he needs to "protecting" himself with PR-oriented comments - he is not doing the right thing - period and it's time to own up, not cover up. Mr. Metzger is not being honest with the ocmmunity - nor forthright and we are NOT full of glee to find out each time he makes errors and mistakes and doesn't own up to it.
And (2) We are NOT full of GLEE to be stuck with disfunctional decision-making and an undignified board President.
So does anyone know when the environmentail study is scheduled to be released? Is there a deadline? Really, that's my major concern at this point...
Can they build it if they start by mid-April? Maybe, maybe not. A lot depends upon the weather and other things that are very hard to predict. A few injunctions could hold up construction indefinitely.
Throw enough money and bodies at the construction project and the building probably could be finished for this self-imposed deadline... imagine here one of the home makeover shows...
This thing is such a rush job one can only imagine all of the design mistakes that will be made. NV was not thrown together like this. A lot more thought and input from the community was received and there still were some mistakes.
What will the quality be like with something rushed like this project? Will MV be equal to or worse than WV or will it be equal to or greater than NV?
Or are we just cobbling together a throw away building that will only last 10-20 years?
From a practical standpoint those who are against the third HS do not care about these aspects... they simply don't want another building.
What about those who are for a third HS? Other than beating the drums for the project.... no one, but no one is diving in to understand what we are about to build.
The building size, the classroom size, the construction materials, the interior finishes, the equipment. What will it look like outside, what will it look like inside? What will it cost to operate? What will it cost to maintain? What choices have been made to lower the operation and maintenance expense over the life time of the building? How many serving lines and seats will be in the cafeteria? How big will the auditorium be? How many lanes will the swimming pool have? What size hall lockers will be installed? How many parking spaces will be provided?
What are the answers to these questions? What are the answers to these questions from our students perspective... they will be the biggest user of this building?
Or does everyone who wants the 3rd HS so badly simply trust the good judgement of our SB on all of these detail?
I commend the Board for trying to get tis building completed and rectify the horrible over crowding situation that is effecting my children's high school educatin and experience. I have a child that attends Nequa and another who will be a freshman next year. I can tell you from the experience my daughter is having that it is not an ideal situation. The halls are over crowded, she has to walk outside in order to get her classes on time, she has to eat her lunch on the floor, and she has to share a locker. These are not the conditions I would like to see my son have to deal with his high school years.
As for the planning of the new High School, there has been ample time to for the designers to address the all of the issues a previous poster asked. The design is the same as it would have been on BB land.
As for everyone's concern regarding the power lines that are at the edge of the property, I think it it really grasping at straws. I have a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and have looked at a great many of the studies concerning power lines and their link to cancer. There are as many, if not more studies that find there is no link than there are studies that say there MIGHT be a slight risk. With the studies that say there might be a slight risk, the power lines were MUCH closer to the test subjects and the amount of power the test subject were subject to was much higher. So please, enough with the power line scare.
I agree the land should be cleaned up before the school utilizes the land. But from everything I have read and know about Peaker Power plants, there are no serious poisons associated with them. Diesel Fuel and anti freeze are the worse chemicals typically used. I would venture to guess that most of the people that are concerned about these chemicals being on the land have simiiar or possibly even worse chemicals in their own garage, I know I do.
The bottom line is, as a district we voted and agreed a third high school was needed, and it is. The school board is not going to move any dirt until the final environmental tests are released, and there has been more than enough time to do a proper design and review of the building. Let's get light this candle.
I cannot imagine sending the children in our 204 community to a school that is not finished. I think it is time the Board admits that the 2009 opening is a 10 million dollar mistake, not to mention all the mistakes that happen when you rush. This is true whether the school is built on the Eola site or BB.
The kids starting at MV will already be facing a school with no varsity sports in the beginning, but then to send them to a school without a pool, gym, etc. is just not fair. The children of our community deserve better.
M2's statement about people being "full of glee" is downright disrespectful. To me, it just reinforces the arrogance of the Board to move forward at all costs. They do not want to be proven wrong. M2 needs to understand that people have a right to be suspicous about the environmental reports. He says there are confidentially agreements. Usually, good news is not confidential.
It would be nice for the board to have a Q&A session with the 204 community. There are too many unanswered questions. Here are my first questions: What do we do with the land that we already own at BB and have you called the BB attorneys back to try to negotiate?
I feel we cannot close on the Eola site until we know the outcome of BB. To do otherwise is a slap in the face of taxpayers.
The school will open on time. Even if they don't start digging until May, there is plenty of time.
The school board knows what the studies are of the Phase II study. They have for over 3 weeks. Have you ever thought that they don't want to release them to the public until they feel they are ready to? Yes, you heard me correct until they are ready to. Remember our school district has always been open and honest with us through all of the legal battles on BB property by communicating on their website to notes in the backpacks to the newspapers. Now they are facing a lawsuit from NSFOC so they have decided to only release information when they see fit. If you would have paid attention that is the legal advice the IPSD received from their attorney's because of the NSFOC lawsuit. You folks caused the school board to keep informaiton secret until necessary.
Do you think they have been just sitting on the results of the Phase II studies? I bet they have been working on a plan with MidwestGen and when they release the results of the Phase II studies they will also release the remediation plans. They are already removing the Peaker Plant if you haven't noticed.
What you haven't opened your eyes to see is that plans are moving forward to build a 3rd high school. Contracts are being signed, plans are being made, meetings are taking place and because of the NSFOC this time we just don't know about it. However, it will all come out soon enough. Do you really think they would be signing all the contracts and making plans with MidwestGen and the City of Aurora if there were major problems with the Phase II study. I doubt it, they would have probably moved on to another site.
Let me also remind you that the NSFOC says the BB property or no 3rd high school at all for anyone. If it is the BB property that school will be missing quite a bit because of the high land cost. If we don't have a 3rd high school are all the NSFOC members sure they won't still be moved to WVHS down the road? Are you ok with being known as the district that has 2 overcrowded high schools? How do you think that will effect all of our home values?
By Future Matea Mom on March 25, 2008 8:16 AM
"So does anyone know when the environmentail study is scheduled to be released? Is there a deadline? Really, that's my major concern at this point..."
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Right now there is no date for the release. It is a major concern for us as well. Friends of ours are going to have kids going to MV and don't want them attending a contaminated site either. My cousin who is an enviromentalist for a large company told me that it would cost millions of dollars to remedi the site and that the attached land also needs to be looked at which I believe is the AME land. He said that it could have leached over because of how long the site operated. I really don't see the school opening on time if everything is done above the bar.
No way will the high school open in 2009.
To JR. Any delay in the building of Metae (at Eola) can be attributed soley to the NSFOC. Their selfish acts are only going to cost us more money in delays and legal fees - nothing more! The building of Metea at Eola will happen and they know it, they are only trying to delay to get one more school year for their own kids and costing the rest of us $$$. Never has a law suit been brought against a school board when the majority of the tax payers are against it!
Without a doubt, all counts in the lawsuit are baseless. It is beyond shameful what the group filing the lawsuit is doing. Please don't try and pass this offf as if your doing something admirable that is helping the community. You are suing your neighbors who stand to gain (in your own words "a shiny new high school") and you want it for yourselves - bottom line. I was a member of GreenPeace and I am disgusted that your using these tactics for personal gain. There is something admirable about people who fight the fight for credible reasons and you are putting a black mark on those valuable causes. Without a doubt - you should all be truly ashamed of yourselves - and don't think you've fooled anyone - even yourselves.
Keep donating to the NSFOC? Why you ask?
In the unlikely evet that they are successful and the 3rd high school isn't built (item (a) within their lawsuit) on the BB property and they are successful on item (c) on their lawsuit which states that if the Defentant isn't able to purchase the BB property that it return all the money and don't built a high school at all.
THEY WILL STILL NEED YOUR MONEY IF THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL!!! WHY?
Because there is no guarantee that they (TG) still won't have to attend WVHS because we will have 2 overcrowded high schools and TG will still have to most likely move out of NVHS. They will then have to come up with another frivolous lawsuit of why they shouldn't attend WVHS.
Did you people even think about your lawsuit before you wrote it, or was it a timing issue? It has misspellings and not very well thought out ideas. Maybe you should file a second lawsuit because you care about all of the kids so much. Heck, it can't make you look worse then you already to. Did Mr. Collins firm type this, do you really think he's concerend about your views or is he more concerned about your money? If he is concerned about your views I would have expected a more well thought out strategy. Then again as Mr. Collins maybe he's already chalked this one up to a loss.
Finally, I can't wait until the NSFOC meeting tonight!! I'm sure you'll have a bunch of new ways to twist and spin why a 3rd high school shouldn't be built on the EM property and only on the BB property or not at all.
When is th SB going to be upfront for a change? They owe the taxpayers full disclosure. If the land was safe I'm sure they would have released the info by now. You have to ask yourself WHY!!!!!
If the school doesn't open in 2009, I am going to form a group and sue the school district. I only voted 'yes' on the new school based on statements from the school board that the school would open in 2009.
I know the ballot didn't say that, but that's what the school board told me and that's why I voted 'yes'. They took my money and didn't open the school as promised.
09 High School For Our Children (09HSFOC)!
Simple question. Where are the results?
To: Just don't get it...
The SB has operated under full disclosure up until January of this year. The SB attorney's advised them not to disclose this information probably because they are working with the IL EPA and MidwestGen. The other reason why is because of the NSFOC. I fully believe that if the NSFOC lawsuit wasn't pending they would have released the information. However, say they release the information and the Phase II studies come back with minor concerns. Well, it just gives the NSFOC to come up with another way to spin the information on why they shouldn't build a high school there. Trust me they will release the studies and the remediation plans and the approval of the IL EPA with the land contract signed and the approval of the City of Aurora. They are speding all the time behind the scenes in executive session making sure all their ducks are in a row before they release any additional information.
NSFOC will you return the money to your membership if the following happens?
(a) You don't get a school built on the BB property?
(b) If the IPSD moves ahead with plans to build a 3rd high school on the AME property?
(c) If the IPSD doesn't build a 3rd high school AT ALL, and yet the bulk of your membership is still sent to WVHS because of new boundaries and overcrowding?
THESE ARE THE ARGUEMENTS TAKING FROM THE NSFOC LAWSUIT AGAINST IPSD!!
By JR on March 25, 2008 6:56 AM
Ready on time? August 2009? Oh yeah? Highly unlikely!
Metzger and the rest of the board will toss millions of the tax payers dollars at contractors who will gladly take it. When it is not on time, the board and the contractors will say they did there very best but, everything was against them and it just did not happen. $8-10 million later (extra $ paid to contractors), it opens in 2010. What a joke of a President and Super D we have. What a waste! Can we start to impeach the board now or after they p?ss away 150 million dollars or more.
Oh yeah, and in 2010 here is what 204 will get. A school partially completed, kids dodging bull dozers, trucks, lumber, etc. School girls being harrassed by construction workers. Like teachers, will these construction workers get back ground checks? Who knows and that is scary! No gym, pool, auditorium, etc.
Sounds like a good high school experience to me. Good times and good memories. It should be a real plus for 2004 to put kids in a situation like that. Very well done 204!
Jr,
You talking about the Eola or BB site? How old are your kids?According to NSFOC lawsuit this will be BB or nothing....Uh oh!!!!
to all concerned as to why the results have not been released...the midwest gen property is 9as of today) private property. The district has said they want to release the data but they are contractually prohibited from doing so. I do not beleive they are hiding anything since the facts will have to come out eventually anyway.
I do have to ask why the NSFOC with an "enviromental" attorney on retainer, lists basic environmental questions on their site but does not give any answers? Their attorney must not be very good...or they know the answers but if they put the answers on the website, the uninformed will quit writing checks.
Naperville Sun editors....
The need for a third high school was already voted on by the people under an official ballot. It passed. We don't need an unscientfic poll to support or refute this fact.The only people wasting their time on this poll are the NSFOC people because of their email telling their lemmings to vote.....
I meant to add....if anything, the unscientific poll shows us the makeup of the NSFOC group. They are the only ones voting :)
Moderator Jim: I really don't see what's wrong with an "unscientific" poll just to see what people think...get them involved in the process etc. After all, I think everyone - from both camps - just want the best for their kids.
If they started digging TODAY there is no way this school building could possibly open for the 2009 school year. Anyone who tells you that this building can be finished in time for the 2009 school year simply isn't being totally honest or doesn't have any understanding of construction project schedules.
IF this entire project was already out to bid at this point in time there is a good likelihood this school building could be ready to open in time for the 2010 school year.
The reasons why this school building can not and will not be ready to open for the 2009 school year:
1. a minimum of 18-24 months are needed to construct a high school building. This is not on the smaller size of the building scale either, rather it is on the larger end of the scale so we should conservatively estimate that it will take closer to 24 months.
2. This project isn't even close to being out to bid. The longer the bid preparation process takes, the further back it will push the entire schedule. Don't forget that an unhappy second or third bidder could file suit if they are unhappy with the bidding outcome and push the schedule back as well.
3. Weather could delay the project... rain, high winds, tornado, snow, cold, etc. It is also possible for there to be storm related damage that could be another unforeseen setback.
4. Accidents happen on construction sites all the time. Workers get injured or worse. Buildings collapse. Investigations take time.
5. "Owners" and "contractors" some times just don't get along and end up suing each other... yes, another law suit and it could come from either party. Some times general contractors or subcontractors go broke in the middle of a project. All potential unforeseen delays.
6. Same thing happens between general contractors and the architects. Or the building owners and the architects. Law suits in the construction industry are very common. They tend to drive up the project cost and cause additional delays.
7. Inspections and occupancy permits may or may not be obtained on time. Sometimes it is a scheduling problem. Sometimes the inspectors find shoddy work and require it to be done over. A building this size will have a ton of inspections during the course of construction. At any point a stop work order could be issued until something is fixed or corrected.
8. Some of the biggest causes of delays on construction projects are related to:
Schedule conflicts - someone is held up waiting for someone else to finish something else first.
Inadequate staffing - subcontractors do not want to add additional staff, they want to get by with who they already have hired.
Inadequate equipment - more and more subcontractors rent as opposed to owning equipment so they factor in a daily cost to rent as part of their bid price. The equipment they need may not be available when they need it.
Design delay - workers simply can not build it the way the architects drew it on the drawings and nothing gets done until an engineering solution is found.
Material delay - a lot of materials for a job like this are custom ordered and are not stock items. Shipping delays are common. Even for stock items no one carries inventories for a lot of construction materials anymore and products are literally shipped from the factory to the job site for immediate installation... just in time concept. If the factory gets backed-up or has a breakdown another delay.
Material quality - sometimes what is shipped is simply the wrong component or has quality problems... more delay while these issues get sorted out.
There are lots and lots of other examples of what could go wrong and push even the best of schedules several months behind.
Considering everything that has gone wrong to date on the whole concept of a third high school, why should any of us believe that our SB can now pull off a miracle the proposed project schedule. I don't believe it for a minute. If you believe it can be done, I sure would like to know what you are basing your belief on other than blind faith and trust in the SB.
What is going on behind closed doors at the School Board? What do they know that they are not telling us? NSFOC has done little other than filing a civil suit and stating their position. This is not stopping D204 from proceeding with construction. What is.... ?
- They are taking significant heat from the press
- They don't own the land
- They have not settled the BB situation nor know the true cost of settlment
- Someone does not want the environmental study released
Come on Mr. Metzger, times like this require leadership. So far you have exhibited anything but.
Referendum discussion for need was 2004. Real estate was booming then. New homes, new subdivisions....
Then, 2005 - still a need. But the ref fails because voters said no until they are marketed where the site will be. Pure no vote.
Then, 2006 - SB markets where the site will be. And even gives boundaries - in these boundary discussions the marketing of "hey, now, if we can't get BB land, OK, then voters must live with the site being somewhere else." No, just the opposite. Vote for the ref - because you will go here. OK, voters say yes.
Now, 2008 - Real estate tanking. Less residential as fast as planned going up. The bubble is for a couple years. And the voters said "no" to Eola --- as evident in their vote for "Yes" to BB.
Come on. Slow down. Rush the wrong site. Rush the money out the door. Even Metzger has to be embarrassed of what he the rest of the Board did.
They should immediately stop. Apologize for this situation. Go back for a revote on the Eola - or buy the BB land and build. We can wait until 2010 to do it right. My gosh, do we tell our kids to study the night before the test, at midnight. Or do we properly prepare ourselves.
Again, SB has to stop blaming others and take responsibility for their actions.
If these guys were a lawyer or accountant they would have been fired months ago. They would fire themselves if they did this to their families. Ego, pride and longevity. Who can argue with facts.
By Keep Donating to NSFOC on March 25, 2008 10:41 AM
"Keep donating to the NSFOC? Why you ask?
If you are so concerned why don't you attend the meeting and ask your questions. Everyone is invited. But, I guess you won't because you can remain negative on this issue and try to force blame elsewhere instead of looking at who is responsible for all of this. THE SCHOOL BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE!!
I will keep donating to the NSFOC because we need answers and unfortuantely this seems to be the only way. Also, there are alot of school boards that have been sued don't kid yourself.
See you at the meeting!
NSFOC,
I kinda have a busy night scheduled for tonight.If I come to your meeting do I have to pay a cover charge and can I take pictures for my website? Also,is it okay if I bring my Ipod if I get bored? Can I get Mr. C's autograph? Thanks
p.s. I am totally serious.
The relevant question isn't "Will the school open in 2009?" The question that should be asked is "SHOULD we be accelerating construction to open the school in 2009?" The $5m or $10m spent on expediting construction is throw-away money. The ONLY justification I've heard from the district is when Daeschner stated, "because our kids are worth it." Huh? So what exactly is the threshold that is justified based on the worth of our kids? Is $50m throw-away justified? In my opinion the SB should slow-down and stop being in such a hurry to get this over with. As a project manager I can tell you that the worst projects are those with an unrealistic schedule. The premium we'll pay is most certainly NOT simply the differential of paying OT. The number of dependencies in a construction project such as this are tremendous, and rush projects are always the most inefficient. I almost hope we can't break ground in April, just to force the SB to slow down. And let's now fool ourselves - those NSFOC folks aren't slowing anything down. The delays to date are all based on actions of the SB.
I implore the SB and SD Admin to STOP all this 2009 nonsense.
Let's make sure this site is safe - not guess and wish and hope. These are our kids we're talking about here. Yes I agree we need a 3rd high school -but why pay $5M - $10 Million in expedite charges to open a shell of a school. As it is we're talking about No Gym, No Auditorium, No Pool,and with construction going on - mud for parking lots, 17 acres fences off for remediation.
All the time we heard even at BB, the kids moving in there deserve a FULL high schoolexperience. What why is that differentnow that the high school is located north. It's bad enough they are asking 1/2 the new school to have a horrible commute because the site is not where the population is, but now they get there and are missing all these amenities and no varsity sports to boot. The 8th graders today destined for MV only get one high school life like all of us - why make theirs crappy compared to the kids at ourother 2 schools ? Is this what we paid $150M for ?
Note on the sports - world class players like V DiBernardo would not be playing this year if this was fall 2009 and she moved from WV to MV -this is a dumb policy in an era of club sports and well trained athletes - but with no gym and no sports fields - how can we call MV a school in 2009. You can't in my book. No auditorium for our wonderful 204 music program - c'mon.
Move the opening to 2010 - build a complete school somewhere - even if it was BB - do not open until it is a real high school.
Yes, I know it's crowded - but quite frankly my oldest was at WVHS when it was more crowded than this 10 years ago - and somehow got a great education without the threat of split shifts and the like. Did the school get smaller since then ?
Let's put all ego's aside for a change and do the right thing for the kids and the taxpayers.Do notopen 1/2 a high school.
to NSFOC listens...do you really believe this is about getting the SB to listen? This is about money to keep the Tall Grass kids out of WVHS. Oh I'm sorry...I didn't realize you lived at Tall Grass and know that nobody will send their checks if they knew the NSFOC truth. This is not about a lawsuit the NSFOC cannot win. A lawsuit that will require millions more money than the NSFOC can ever raise. This is about elitist snobs who don't want "the shiny new school" being built for non-Tall Grass students.
to Stop...you do realize that the school will open with only freshmen and sophomores? There will not be varsity players required for varsity sports until the following year. They are opening the school this way so as not to uproot juniors and seniors as they are preparing for and applying to college.
word to the wise, the NSFOC will post the head count of their meeting as 100% supporters. No wonder they are inviting everyone to come out regardless if you support or not. Just watch how the Sun reports this to see if they are objective in their coverage.
I would be willing to contribute $ to NSFOC if NSFOC would post on their web site the current names and addresses of it's organizational leaders.
will collins be there tonight to answer our questions?
Metzger's quote in the papers this am is a joke. Glee is not blowing in the wind over the secret meetings, lack of information and more importantly lack of involvement of parents in the process.
Another word comes to mind Mark...NAUSIA.
When will you wake up and realize this mess was orchestrated by your covert actions and insistence that parents are an obstacle and it’s a waste of time to include them.
Your arrogance and complete failure in managing the BB debacle gives us in the community 0% confidence in you and Dr D. The rest of the SB appears to be acting like lemmings behind you two and you should be ashamed. You and you alone have created a situation where people for years will be shaking their heads over the 204 district leadership.
I'm sure the environmental results will be released 24 hrs before closing so that the community has no time to question your infinite wisdom and Dr D's opinions about what they mean. It’s a real shame. Had we had true leadership in the district this entire process including the lawsuits could have been avoided.
Rather than point fingers at the community, the organizations formed or subdivisions you need to look in a mirror for the root cause of the catastrophe in 204. Mark, its time to step aside and for us to find a new leader who is willing to include the community and communicate openly and honestly. Maybe we can name a building in your honor. There is an outhouse on the BB property that seems fitting.
The 3rd High School should be located on the Macom site. Both the Eola and 75th Street sites should be abandoned, one for safety reasons and the other for cost reasons.
The Macom site, has none of these safety issues, would be priced competitively, reduce transportation costs across the district, reduce unsafe travel conditions including crossing railroads and Rt 59.
The only criteria the Macom site doesn't satisfy is the entitlement that some people in the North feeel for a 3rd high school close to where they live. Since the population density and center of population is closer to Macom the "silent majority" would be served rather than a entitled, elitist North side of the district.
By So much to do, so little time.... on March 25, 2008 12:40 PM
NSFOC,
I kinda have a busy night scheduled for tonight. If I come to your meeting do I have to pay a cover charge and can I take pictures for my website? Also, is it okay if I bring my Ipod if I get bored? Can I get Mr. C's autograph? Thanks
p.s. I am totally serious.
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For you, no cover... Come to the back door and ask for "Big Dan". He'll let you in. Pictures, no problem. If you bring a Polaroid I'll even sign one for ya. Ipod, please do. I'm bringing my Gameboy. Mr. C's autograph? I don't know about that one. Bring some cash or at least a checkbook.
CB
The school will not open in 2009. That was just another of the SB lies to get backing for this crappy site. This was their way to say Eola was better then Macom. Another big lie delivered to us straight from our SB.
Does anyone else remember the Brookdale Orange Crusade - when the elitist people from Brookdale wore orange to all the boundary discussions in 2006 - yelling, screaming, bullying to get their entitlement, desperately try ot get their kids out of WVHS and into Metea.
This whole thing is about the North side of the district approaching the 3rd high school from a sense of entitlement.
Its so disingenuous of them to now try and blame other communities of what the North is doing/has been doing.
Don't forget Northside/Brookdale - there are more people in the south. Brookdale/North voted down the referendum when they realized that they wouldn't get their "entitlement" of their kids not attending WVHS. The south carried the referendum.
In the end the "silent majority" in the south will prevail because of our votes....the North/Brookdale's orange crusade and elitist, entitlement mentality to get their kids out of WVHS will fail....count on it....
By anonymous on March 25, 2008 1:13 PM
"to NSFOC listens...do you really believe this is about getting the SB to listen? This is about money to keep the Tall Grass kids out of WVHS. Oh I'm sorry...I didn't realize you lived at Tall Grass and know that nobody will send their checks if they knew the NSFOC truth. This is not about a lawsuit the NSFOC cannot win. A lawsuit that will require millions more money than the NSFOC can ever raise. This is about elitist snobs who don't want "the shiny new school" being built for non-Tall Grass students."
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Yeah,uh sorry to burst your bubble but I don't live in Tall Grass or White Eagle. I know they are fine subdivisions.
However, your "elitist snobs" comment is uncalled for. I see that you must be the one always blogging with this signature comments. What your version of truth? Are you a school board member? Are you that worried about a lawsuit? No one knows where it will go. You don't know how much money they can raise. I do know how much money the SCHOOL BOARD can spend without even thinking about the consequences of their actions.
NSFOC is for all of us who believe the SCHOOL BOARD NEEDS TO THE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. IT'S NOT ABOUT NOT WANTING TO GO TO WV even though you try your hardest to make people see it that way.
I feel sorry for you and your children if you have any. It's people like you who teach your children to lie and scare people to get your way. NSFOC wants answers from the school board and they are trying to get them.
Regarding the school being built in 2009 why rush it. Start in 2010 with a full facility.
To anonymous on March 25, 2008 1:13 PM
No, sadly, nothing seems to make the school board listen - or talk, or be completely honest, or show good judgment, or make good decisions, or admit their mistakes, or show integrity.
Frankly, I don't want the shiny new school. Never did. I wanted the school closest to my home, like most other reasonable people I know (but careful - please don't confuse those people with elitist snobs like me). But, I was willing to compromise for a school that was slightly farther away because it was a school that was more strategically/centrally located to benefit the entire district - to deal with an overcrowding problem that has, by the way, mysteriously subsided to a large degree in the last two years (pesky little detail, I know). I certainly don't wish the shiny new school in its latest incarnation on anyone, given the Eola location and the apparent rushed circumstances under which it will be built. I honestly do care, even if my kids won't go to MV now, because maybe they will in the future. I'm sure the SB can come up with some criteria that would justify TG and many others driving past not one, but two, schools to get there - and they will say it is cutting transportation costs - and they will publish that it will only take us one more minute to get to MV than it takes to get to WV! After all, it's only going to take one more minute to get to WV than it does to get to NV, even though it's 5 miles farther away. Honest...Laidlaw says so! After two years of this, one thing is clear - there is no end to the ridiculousness of what the SB can come up with to push the agenda du jour.
In all seriousness, bottom line, the Eola land is questionable. Who cares to what degree. The SB even spelled that out for us. So, were they lying then, or are they lying now? Bottom line, the location does not best serve the ENTIRE district now, or in the future. It's too far away from the majority of the student population, and that is only going to become more true as more houses are built south of 103rd St. I don't even care if the lies and blunders of the SB to date have no legal standing in court. They are decisions void of good judgment and long term vision for this district - all of us wil pay in the end - in different ways, to varying degrees. But, it will happen.
Maybe next time the SB should do what other districts do - form committees and include constituents, teachers, board members, students, etc. in creating the criteria for site choices and boundaries. Bet they could come up with more than 3(!)criteria, and bet the number one criteria on the list would be proximity - whether it's one mile or six, if that's the closest we can get due to district's unfortunate geography. And also in these scenarios in other districts, the SB and admin. actually JUSTIFY how their choices meet/don't meet EVERY criteria. Not answers like: "Laidlaw said so, we're comfortable with that" "We gave it our best shot", "It's tough", "In our opinion"....and on and on. Answers like these are simply unacceptable from experienced professionals with doctorate degrees, as well as from elected volunteers who are there to SERVE the community.
But forget involving people on the ground level and actually keeping them in the picture - too messy. The Board might then actually have to be accountable. This approach also cuts into the usefulness of the whole elitist snob angle for people like you who can't come up with anything better. Please open your eyes and your mind - stop making excuses for the SB.
From today’s Sun:
“The district has had the results of those tests for two weeks, but, due to a confidentiality agreement with the various parties involved in the land purchase, it has been unable to release them. Those parties have agreed to only release the results when all parties are ready to do so, he said.”
Metzger did not say who had not agreed to release the results. I have to believe that it is the school board themselves that are holding this up. Metzger did not say it wasn’t the school board either. They are the only ones that would have anything to gain by not releasing the results.
Based on everything I have read about this so far I have to think this is right on.
MACOM is a fantastic site for the school Since >60% of the kids live south of 75th street and the growth in population is south this is a logical choice. However, its clear that the SB does not want to put the school in the South. Lehman etal have been at their doorstep for almost a year but have been shut out by the SB. One of the early blogs in the sun had info that Lehman had reduced his price further but Dr D did not reflect that in his site presentation to the board. Spinning Eola and the natural choice.
I find it inexcusable to build a school where they said they would not before and have never answered the question about what changed. They either lied to us before the referrendum or are lying now.
I understand that folks in the Northern part of the district drive far to WV and if the population were also growing North I'd see the sense in building the school there. But that is not the case.
Its clear that the Southern section of the district has no representation aside from Alka who appears through her own actions to be only concerned with Springbrook. So although logical there is no one at the table advancing logic.
i'm wondering... if the new school is built on the northside of town and much of the growth on the southside was beacause of the expectations of attending a fancy new school... will there be a sudden jump in new housing on the northside and the growth on the southside will come to a halt?
To: NSFOC LISTENS BUT NOT THE SCHOOL BOARD
I noticed in your reply to my post that you didn't answer the questions I posed to the NSFOC either. I'm not sure anyone at the NSFOC has considered what they filed the lawsuit for, and/or what the ramifications are should they fail or succeed. They really pigeon holed themselves. Their lawsuit doesn't protect them from anything other then a school on BB or not on BB, or no school at all. OMG!!! Imagine if there were no 3rd high school at all and the TG kids still had to go to WVHS...a crowded one at that!!!
Does anyone know how long it took to build Neuqua?
to NSFOC listens...you think the supporters of the Eola site are using lies to scare people? Have you looked at the NSFOC website? It is lie upon lie designed just to scare people into donating money. EVERY environmental question the site lists either has been answered by your attorney (but not posted - that would keep people from falling for the scare tactics and donations would dry up) or will have to be answered per state and federal law. Who do you think you are kidding? NSFOC survival is based on scare tactics.
TO TG Resident...so you want to send your kid to any school as long as it isn't WVHS?
To I Think They are Them...the Midwest Gen property is still private property. If they do want wish to have those test results released yet, there is nothing the district can do about it. The results will be released. Just not as soon as most of us would like...including me since I believe we can then get on with the discussion of remediation.
To: Glee Club
You should be ashamed of yourself, seriously ashamed. Do you even realize the hard work and missed family time the members of the school board missed because they were working on the BB debacle as you refer to it. Do you know how many trips to Springfield the school board and MM and the IPSD attorney's made to court rooms and took time from their family? What a disgrace you are Glee Club!! They won every battle except the last judgement. Who would have thought the land would come in so expensive, no on except for the greedy BB attorney's.
Yet, they were open and honest and reported everything in the newspapers and on their website of what was going on with the BB land. Only for it to not go their way to no fault of theirs and those people the IPSD and school board were fighting for turn around and sue them. DISGUSTING!!!
As far as the enviornmental studies go I hope they release the results and hour before they break ground because that's all the NSFOC group deserves. It's a shame you're ruined it for the rest of the district especially the real parents that have kids slated for MVHS.
Mr. Metzer, I don't see any humor in the way you are leading this school district.
Looks like these will be my choices for my eighth grader:
1) Go one year to WVHS. Switch to half completed Metea where building and remediation of contaminated site are ongoing. No pool, gym, varsity sports.
2) Go To overcrowded WVHS for 4 years when promise to open in 09 fails because of delays, lawsuits etc.
3) Move to District 203 where neither HS is on academic watch.
Yes, option 3 looks pretty good, but I'm not laughing.
To: Orange Crusade
You obviously didn't attend those meeting as is evidenced by your lack of knowledge or by the NSFOC directing you what to say, which is becoming a common.
The orange shirts were a protest to them not splitting up Hill Middle School. In the end they didn't win their battle and they still split Hill Middle School under the old boundary changes. It had nothing to do with those at Brookdale attending WVHS those are some of the longest and most pround familes of WVHS.
Get your facts straight and quit pointing fingers at Brookdale a proud neighborhood who most likely supported the high school your kids go to for now (NVHS). I wore a orange shirt myself and I don't live in that neighborhood myself because if you look at the history of Hill Middle School you will find out how successful it is and how it has been recognized nationally. Those Brookdale residents were only trying to protect those Title 1 elementary schools that unfortunately aren't always heard loud enough.
Fact still remains they didn't see the need to file a lawsuit. NSFOC should look to Brookdale and see how grown-ups act. If you want my opinion it was the TG neighborhood that acted immature in 2006 and are still 2 years later.
After reading the 45 comments above - It is obvious there is no Glee in Naperworld today. Does anyone feel full of M2-reported glee yet? The community has been insulted - enough already.
For those of you who don't already see it coming the NSFOC has a new strategy. BB or Macom or no school. My god the NSFOC is like a 3yo that keeps wanting to change the rules.
Only problem is your lawsuit doesn't support Macom. It says BB or nothing. If you are successful you will still most likely have new boundaries that will place TG and WE kids at WVHS.
You can keep trying to play the safety card and how Eola will cost more money but no one is buying it. Put out a real lawsuit that says you don't want to change boundaries unless it is BB or Macom and everyone will have a lot more respect for you. Although I highly doubt it.
By sad on March 25, 2008 3:33 PM
To: Glee Club
You should be ashamed of yourself, seriously ashamed. Do you even realize the hard work and missed family time the members of the school board missed because they were working on the BB debacle as you refer to it. Do you know how many trips to Springfield the school board and MM and the IPSD attorney's made to court rooms and took time from their family? What a disgrace you are Glee Club!! They won every battle except the last judgement. Who would have thought the land would come in so expensive, no on except for the greedy BB attorney's.
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To: Sad
Are you saying that an "elected" volunteer can never be criticized for bad decisions because they are volunteers?
If you are, I completely disagree.
By u r uninformed on March 25, 2008 3:41 PM
To: Orange Crusade
You obviously didn't attend those meeting as is evidenced by your lack of knowledge or by the NSFOC directing you what to say, which is becoming a common.
The orange shirts were a protest to them not splitting up Hill Middle School. In the end they didn't win their battle and they still split Hill Middle School under the old boundary changes. It had nothing to do with those at Brookdale attending WVHS those are some of the longest and most pround familes of WVHS.
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I was at the meetings and agreed that splitting Hill middle school was not a good idea. I was very surprised though to have heard the Brookdale community voted 80/20 NO to the referendum.
How do you feel about Scullen being split? Is it okay with you? It seems as though it is. Seems like a double standard.
Yes, I'm feeling GLEE. GLEE over how immature those members of the NSFOC are acting. I know my kids are going to get a great education either at NV, WV or MV. What I am worried about is if the NSFOC is successful for no 3rd high school at all. See how popular your group is then and how the property values for all of us fall beyond belief. Sorry but I don't want my kids attending mega-high schools. It's sad that those at NSFOC only want a high school where they see fit. Don't believe me look at their own lawsuit. It's clearly says the BB site or no high school at all.
To Sad.
Take an antidepressant and wake up.
The SB was told BEFORE the referrendum about the likely cost of the condemmed land on BB ($600k/acre). They were blind to reality and have passed up several other viable options in pursuit of BB and what the Jury decided was less than the estimate they had of $600/acre BEFORE the referrendum.
Their efforts in Springfield although noble in your mind wasted over a year of time and millions of our dollars.
I am not disgusted at all with my comments but I am very disgusted with the incompetence of this school board and Superintendant and the situation THEY have placed us in today.
Say what you want about the NSFOC but I for one am cheering that they have the courage to challenge the SB and demand that the community (aka parents) be involved in decisions that impact their children.
To: We need Logic not panic when selecting the school site
Look at the attendance numbers. If the numbers remain the same NV starts to decline at 2011. However, the "north" or those at WV the attendance stays constant. Fact is the "south" is declining. Come visit some of the elementary or middle schools in the north and you'll see for yourself.
No voice is that how you feel? Ths south has no voice? Seems to me that I supported a referendum that built a high school in the south in 1997 and a high school that was supposed to be built in the south at the BB property. Why did I do that you ask? For the better of our whole district. It is obvious that you are only concerned about your needs. Heck, the school board has opened up their checkbook for the past 11 years to those in the south. Also I might add fought long and hard to get the BB property.
Please give me a break. If you want to balance the district have a high school in the north, central and south, like they will be doing.
"Are you saying that an "elected" volunteer can never be criticized for bad decisions because they are volunteers?
If you are, I completely disagree."
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No I'm saying that it is disgraceful for those people that are saying that the school board or any individual on the school board orchestrated any of this. Events happened that were out of the boards control like the final price on the BB property. To say that they saw this coming and planned all along to build on Eola is just a joke.
Fine be unhappy with them. The fact still remains that a 3rd high school referendum passed and they are building a 3rd high school. I applaud them for continuing on course regardless of minority opinion. I also applaud them for continuing on course based on a referendum that was passed. To do otherwise would be more of a failure. Sorry but at some point as a board member you have to do what is right for everyone in the district. Some are always not going to be happy. Just a shame those who were not happy decided to sue after everything the school board did to fight for them.
Northside/Brookdale - thou dost protest too much!...its obvious to anyone that you protested in 2006 to pull your kids out of WVHS and are pulling all kinds of stunts now to ensure that they go to Metea rather than WVHS....
this has always been about the elitists in the North of the district and Brookdale feeling a sense of entitlement to pull their kids out of WVHS and send them to a "new school".....in order to accomplish that you have thrown the kids from the rest of the district "under the bus"
The south will rise again.........and then the boundaries will change - hope you like WVHS....
Northside/Brookdale - thou dost protest too much!...its obvious to anyone that you protested in 2006 to pull your kids out of WVHS and are pulling all kinds of stunts now to ensure that they go to Metea rather than WVHS....
this has always been about the elitists in the North of the district and Brookdale feeling a sense of entitlement to pull their kids out of WVHS and send them to a "new school".....in order to accomplish that you have thrown the kids from the rest of the district "under the bus"
The south will rise again.........and then the boundaries will change - hope you like WVHS....
Why ? Because the vote-no crowd will never stop pursuing their interest in keeping the maximum number of dollars in their own pockets. They will NEVER go away. So if it is delayed until 2010, they will try to delay until 2011. And 2012. Simply put, they would rather risk overcrowding than risk spending extra $$. I wont.
I will admit the following:
- I am not certain of the enrollment numbers. Nobody is.
- I wish the site were further south. But it isnt.
- I wish TG and WE could go to whatever school will shut them up.
Life is a series of choices. People make those choices based on their perception of the risk of various decisions, and their fundamental values. I voted yes because my "risk perception" and "Value" equation is that I would rather spend a few more dollars, maybe even unecessary ones, than have overcrowded schools.
A majority of the district voted the same way.
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Look at it this way......a majority of you voted for George Bush (twice!) and I am stuck with that for another 9 months (and counting down every minute). We will be paying off THAT $3 trillion rat hole for generations!
Cant you afford to spend an extra few million to educate my kids????
Gotta Love the supporter fo the Macom site. The site isn't for sale and would require another eminent domain battle. That was so much fun the first time let's do it again!! He/she must own that land.
I love the elitist comment when you refer to Brookdale residents. You must live in one of the guest houses in the back yards of Tall Grass.
Isn't the Macom land right next to TG ? Hmmmmmm...how surprising...
By anonymous on March 25, 2008 4:39 PM
Gotta Love the supporter fo the Macom site. The site isn't for sale and would require another eminent domain battle. That was so much fun the first time let's do it again!! He/she must own that land.
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This is completely not true. The Macom site WOULD NOT require another eminent domain battle. Who told you that? Mark Metzger?
The school could have been built on that site for much less than what you were told by the district. There would not have been any need for an eminent domain battle. You are completely incorrect in your post.
to: By Logical Site on March 25, 2008 2:08 PM
MACOM site? Get serious. That's not going to happen.
What about the RR tracks and the Electric substation at the MACOM site. Why are they concerns at EOLA and not the MACOM site? Self-serving reasons I'm guessing.
Click on this link below. Scroll to the left until you get to 95th and 248th ave. See the RR tracks and the Electric Substation!!!! The electric substation is the LARGE tan-colored square next to the RR tracks.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/3995+W+95th+St+Naperville+IL+60564-4615/#a/maps/l::3995+W+95th+St:Naperville:IL:60564-4615:US:41.709779:-88.207478:address:Will+County/m:hyb:12:41.709779:-88.207478:0::/io:0:::::f:EN:M:/e
Hey Orange, trust me Brookdale doesn't care if their kids to to WV or MV. It is those of the NSFOC as evidenced by their own lawsuit that care where their kids go to school (NVHS or MVHS on the BB property or nothing). Quit trying to spin it to look like the Brookdale residents are the ones complaining or suing. They have supported this district longer then you and I.
WARNING FOR THOSE NSFOC MEMBERS THAT WILL BE ATTENDING TONIGHTS MEETING. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY HAVE TO DRIVE FARTHER THEN YOU WOULD IF YOUR CHILDREN ATT