Hal Greenwood very politely appealed to county commissioners on July 12 to consider the opinions of community members who believe the scope of the new community center under consideration is too big for a community of this size.
A survey of 248 residents showed that the respondents who wanted Cook County’s 1 percent sales and use tax to be used primarily for a new community center were outnumbered by those who wanted it to be used primarily for broadband, a library addition, or biomass energy.
Garry Gamble told commissioners he thinks they will lose their constituents’ trust if they use their power to do things that go against the will of the people, adding, “Our intention is to be productive and not disruptive.”
Commissioner Jan Hall indicated she believes they should take these concerns seriously. Commissioner and Community Center Steering Committee Chair Sue Hakes said the committee is working on get- ting operating costs down and pointed out that nothing has been decided yet. She said she would like to have the people who have been putting energy into gathering this information help the committee work on creating an affordable design.
“We are willing to do what we can to create what is an improvement to the community,” Gamble said.
“We appreciate the work you have done, Garry and Hal,” Commissioner Jim Johnson said, “to gather this information and to break it out into a statistical analysis.”
Revisiting school location
Cook County Schools Superintendent Beth Schwarz appealed to the county board to consider attaching the new community center to the school.
On June 14, the county board had decided not to ask its consulting firm, ORB Management, to analyze the cost of locating the community center at the school as recommended by the Community Center Steering Committee. The committee recommended three sites for analysis, and the board asked ORB to analyze the other two. It also asked ORB to analyze a third option suggested by Commissioner Sue Hakes but not included in the committee’s recommendation.
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja said that the board asked ORB to investigate the cost of conducting soil borings to determine the suitability of the other sites, but in doing so it was not rejecting the possibility of attaching the new facility to the school.
Superintendent Schwarz outlined numerous arguments in favor of having the community center attached to the school. These arguments were also included in a letter to the board from Community Center Board of Trustees Chair Jean Mathis.
The arguments included the following: If the west wing of the school complex were replaced by a new community center addition, existing outdoor recreational amenities on other proposed sites could remain in place; the school would not have to figure out what to do with its aging wing, which has a gym floor that cannot be sanded down any further for refinishing; no wetland mitigation would be needed; the school and community center could conveniently share use of the facility’s gym and pool; and heating costs could be lower by attaching the buildings.
Commissioner Sobanja indicated he would prefer that consideration of this option be presented to them with the backing of the school board. Schwarz said she had spoken to school board members individually about this and would be discussing it at the July 19 school board meeting.
Commissioner Hakes said she was willing to ask ORB to estimate the cost of tearing down the school’s west wing and preparing the site for a new facility. Hakes indicated that the whole process is a fluid one. “It’s a new day,” she said.
Hovland playground
A committee in Hovland is working on designs for a new playground at the town hall, Commissioner Hall said. The old equipment is made of wood and gives children splinters. She told the board they might apply for 1 percent funding to help with the cost of the new equipment.
Historical society addition
The Cook County Historical Society is also considering applying for 1 percent funding, Commissioner Johnson said. The society would like to add a 40’x40’ addition and increase the energy efficiency of their building.
County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers said that in order to qualify for 1 percent funding, they would have to find out if the historical society would be considered a recreational amenity.
The historical society has many things that should be available for people to see, Commissioner Hall said, but which they have no room to display.
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