Dear Editor,

District 97 Garage Status Letter from President Stephen A. Huth
August 20, 1999
 

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank Oak Park residents who have voiced their
concerns about the discussions being held between the Village of Oak
Park and District 97 regarding a suggested intergovernmental
agreement to build multilevel parking facilities at the new Julian and
Emerson Middle Schools.  Many of the comments made have been
thoughtful and well-reasoned and play an important part in our
decision making.

As this discussion continues, I do feel it is important that all
concerned have the same facts at hand. In addition, some have
implied that the construction of garages is a "done deal" and was
prearranged long before the April 1999 referendum vote. That is
simply not true, and it is this false perception of deceit and
underhandedness that I must refute.  All those who work to improve
education in District 97 have to know that the District 97 Board
operates openly and honestly.

First, none of the money the voters of Oak Park agreed to provide in
the April 1999 referendum will go to a parking garage. A small
amount of funds was set aside for surface parking.  Surface parking
has been included in designs for the new buildings plans that were
discussed at open meetings as early as last winter.

Second, as was noted several times during public meetings last
winter, District 97 staff was holding preliminary discussions with
Village staff regarding many issues, including parking, but any final
decisions about parking would have to be worked out between the
Village and District 97 after the April elections.

Third, in these preliminary discussions, a suggestion was made that
the Village might be willing to finance and maintain multistory
parking facilities at Julian and Emerson.

The Village made it clear to District 97 that no decisions on financing
could be made until after the April elections, when three new
trustees would take office.

This provided two alternatives. Because there was no provision for
such a structure in the Board's plans, District 97 could have rejected
the notion out of hand before it went any farther.  My guess is that
many Oak Park residents would have preferred that immediate
decision.

However, several factors compelled at least a consideration of the
proposal.  These included providing for parking needs of faculty and
other staff, which will number about 70 at each school; providing for
parking needs of parents and guardians both during day and evening
hours, a number that is variable but certainly increases dramatically
at school performances and will be even greater with the new and
improved auditorium and athletic facilities; and providing for the
ongoing overnight parking needs of village residents who do not
have access to private garages. 

Thus, there were clearly expressed needs for parking, District 97 and
the Village had a history of cooperation and already had several
intergovernmental parking agreements, and there was the possibility
that the Village would both fund and maintain parking facilities. 
These factors, I believe, were sufficient to require a serious, and
public, discussion of the proposal.

Fourth, while parking facilities did not affect the $45.8 million
requested for building and remodeling District 97 schools, they were
an issue that would affect many residents and would require serious
discussion among more individuals that just a few Village and
District 97 staffers. 

Knowing full well that this issue would raise significant concerns
among residents, further discussion was deferred until the entire
community could weigh in on the issue, the Village could discuss
funding and other relevant issues, and District 97 could make some
decisions, with community input, about the best ways in which to
provide parking at the new schools.  Ironically, the willingness to
have a full community discussion of this matter has created the false
impression that some secret deal already has been made to build
garages. It has not.

Which brings us to where we are today.

Because of further evaluation of negative impacts and positive
benefits, District 97 and the Village of Oak Park just last week
decided not to proceed with a parking garage at Emerson. The Village
and District 97 will continue discussions about how best to provide
for surface parking around Emerson Middle School.  Both the Village
and District 97 are committed to encouraging community input in
any of these parking decisions.

Preliminary discussions about shared parking decisions at Julian
Middle School are still underway.  Several important questions, many
of which already have been raised by citizens, must be answered
before we would move ahead.  These questions include how the
safety of students, teachers, parkers, and neighbors will be
maintained; how noise, lighting, and other distractions will be
minimized; how to best integrate any surface parking or parking
structures into the overall design of the school; how to allow for the
joint needs of overnight and school parkers; and how to maintain as
much existing green space as possible.

In other words, we are where I think we should be, in continuing
discussions with the community and with the Village, about proposed
intergovernmental parking agreements that will affect residents
throughout the community. This decision making process is not quick
and is not easy, but it is necessary to ensure that the best choices are
made for the entire community.

Stephen A. Huth
President, District 97 Board of Education