Let me see, Tessa's closing 37 posts in 3 days. School District 203's $115 million dollar renovation plan 15 posts in 9 days! Yup, this must be Naperville! The important things are the important things after all.

"How come Texans do everything better than we do?"

Better? I don't know about that. But if you scroll down a little on that page you linked, you'll find one Texan's opinion about facilities like that:

"Too much money being spent on athletics in this state, if you ask me. In my opinion, school districts in a state like Texas, which is near/at the bottom of just about every educational category in the country, should divert much of that money to students learning something other than how to run, jump, catch, shoot, and throw."

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=5193

What Naperville is doing is chump change. We should have done something like they are doing in Cy-Fair School district right outside Houston, Texas. See the above link. That would have been a much better idea. How come Texans do everything better than we do?

Yes Anonymous, I do know what extravagant means: spending much more than is necessary or wise. If this pool is to be used by the HS swim team and other teams in the community then let the swim team and Park District pay for it.

Here is how to solve all education facilities problems. Abolish public education. Those parents who are interested in swimming for their children can send them to a school with a pool.

Those parents who want their children fed warm lunches or prayer in school can choose the school that is best. Those who want courses in creationism or those who want evolution can pick and choose among private schools.

No public education, fewer problems.

Is it worse than Lisle's high school pool? Is it worse than any other metro communities' high school that decided a pool was an extravegant part of their building plan? All a pool does for a community is take many need dollars away from the education budget.

If you think NN pool is extravagant, then you have know idea what the word means and have never stepped in a pool in any HS in the metro area. If you did, you would know that NN has the worste pool in the metro area. Mainly because it is one of the oldest. Don't be so selfish. That pool not only serves the HS swim team but also teams in the community for both young and old. And don't forget it is part of the gym curriculum.

Excuse me R.R., but some think that the POOL is extravagant! Are you a contractor perhaps?

Couldn't they just fill in the hole at the pool area and make more classrooms out of the added space? I fail to see why every school needs a pool for the 60-80 kids that join the swim teams. Pools are expensive to add into the school, and are an expensive budget item every year, up to and including the eventually needed renovations.

Regarding the pool plan as described in the newspaper, this seems like a nice plan to bring the pool up to the standards of 2001, which is about when the law requiring greater depth was passed. Unfortunately, it is 2008 and the referendum doesn't end until 2028.

It's not extravagant to recognize that spending a little more money up front can often save money in the long run. How much of the $5.2 mil is due to the constraints of working within existing walls? For example, if we take out a wall, could we bring in bigger equipment, dig faster and save on labor costs? What if we took out the north and east walls and the roof? Could we gain long-term energy savings by upgrading insulation? If we move the east wall out, could we fit a 50 meter pool?

The new plan also seems very short on deck area. It takes a lot of people to run a swim meet, and they have to stand somewhere.

There wasn't a lot of detail in the article so perhaps these questions have been asked already.

I'll remember to fight harder the next time a referendum is proposed by this school district. I need my money for food and gasoline not for a swimming pool. I understand my duty to contribute for educating children but not for any frills. You want to swim or take fluff courses, let the users pay.

Mike, you opposed the referendum, however, you say "I still feel the school should have been torn down and completely rebuilt." You also say "Right now the pool at North is a disaster. I don't know why it took so long to get these repairs done." How can you oppose the referendum but agree all the work needs to be done and should have happened a long time ago.

Just curious.

I opposed the referendum, but I have to admit that 203 is doing an excellent job with this facilities plan so far. I appreciate that they are keeping the community informed about the developments.

It is a smart move for them to postpone the tax hike for a year. The early childhood center plans so far look excellent. The architects have done a good job blending the facility into the surrounding area.

Right now the pool at North is a disaster. I don't know why it took so long to get these repairs done.

I'm sure we're all looking forward to seeing the plans for the re-build at Central. The preliminary plans looked interesting and the architects really have a challenge on their hands. I still feel the school should have been torn down and completely rebuilt.

The pool at NN needs the renovation. It's one of the oldest, if not the oldest, pool in the western suburbs. It serves no purpose now that the swim teams are banned from diving in the pool due to USS swim regulations for safety reasons. North can't even hold their home meets there for that reason.

Whether the depth is an issue or not, have you ever been inside the pool area. The deck floor is disgusting and needs to be replaced. Lord only knows what bacteria/mold is harboring in it after all these years. It's an embarassment to the community to have a facility that is in the condition it is.

Let's not be penny wise and dollar foolish. And I'm guessing that you have never had much done around your home if you think a job that is requiring $5M can be done for less than $1M.

And it shouldn't be a shocker to anyone that bids that were quoted out a year ago are now coming in higher. If it is, you haven't been reading the papers or bought gas or groceries in the past 6 months.

Remodel an indoor pool for $5.2 million. That is insane.

You can buy 5 McMansions for that price and have 200k to pay the real estate tax on those McMansions for 2 full years.

You could buy a 30,000 square foot shopping center with that kind of money and make a half a million or more in rental income.

We need to be wiser in how we spend our money.

How about getting a few more bids to see if it can be done for under a million! Let us try to be frugal for once and not give away taxpayer money just because we have it! Please!

They should build this thing right across the street from Higgins aka Gladys Kravitz.