*Just over one year ago on October 14, 2015, this high school Board voted unanimously to demolish the parking garage and proceed with construction of an Olympic sized (50 meter) pool on the site. To fund that project’s $37.5 million price tag the Board would have taken $20 million from its fund balance and $17.5 million in non-referendum working cash bonds. This funding approach was chosen for the sole purpose of bypassing voters and avoiding a referendum.
#D200VoteNo
*For $37.3 Million we could build one pool outside of the schools footprint, tear down a parking garage, build a smaller new parking garage after two years of no parking garage...
#D200VoteNo
*For $37.3 Million we could build one pool outside of the schools footprint, tear down a parking garage, build a smaller new parking garage after two years of no parking garage...
OR
For $37.3 Million we could build two brand new pools within the schools footprint, keep the existing larger parking garage and have $15 Million to address the NEEDS of the educational and arts missions of the school?
BTW - $15 Million is a greater allocation of funds for educational and arts programs than is built into the $44.5 Million referendum ballot "plan". Lets spend our money wisely and Vote NO. #D200VoteNo
*It's OK to vote no on the D200 referendum question. It does not indicate a lack of support for our local schools; it indicates we need to be smart in how we allocate our resources - our land and our money. Giving up so much of both for an unnecessarily large swimming pool is not a smart allocation. http://www.oakpark.com/…/It's-OK-to-vote-No-on-pool-referen…
*The best way to defeat this referendum is to EDUCATE the base on what is truly included and how it's NOT a facilities plan but really just an outrageously expensive oversized pool?
Here's how you can help do this:
-bring up the referendum in conversations with neighbors/friends
-share the website www.D200VoteNo.com with your local/neighborhood email list
-share the Facebook Page and Group with your friends
-share individual Facebook posts with your friends
-put a yard sign in your yard or window
-help pass out flyers at local events
-attend local community meetings and ask the tough questions
-etc etc etc.
Send an email to D200VoteNo@gmail.com with what you are willing to do and we will put you to work. #D200VoteNO
-bring up the referendum in conversations with neighbors/friends
-share the website www.D200VoteNo.com with your local/neighborhood email list
-share the Facebook Page and Group with your friends
-share individual Facebook posts with your friends
-put a yard sign in your yard or window
-help pass out flyers at local events
-attend local community meetings and ask the tough questions
-etc etc etc.
Send an email to D200VoteNo@gmail.com with what you are willing to do and we will put you to work. #D200VoteNO
*There has never been a budget set for the pool project? With each design idea, the school has said to their retained design/construction firm "here's what we WANT. What would it look like and how much will it cost?" Backwards thinking on the schools part. True stewardship of taxpayer money would be "Here's what we NEED, heres how much money we HAVE, what would it look like?" And include multiple design/construction firms in the bidding process. #D200VoteNo
*The "Long Term Facilities Plan" packaged with the 40 meter freestanding pool, took just 60 days to create? And in its original form was allocated $17 million. Then, after getting every parental interest group on board with how fantastic this would be, it was stripped down to $7 million. This is not a facilities plan, this is a swimming pool. #D200VoteNo
*There have been NO competitive bids neither for design nor construction through this entire process? Zero. None.
The design and construction firm is retained by the school as a sole supplier.
#D200VoteNo
The design and construction firm is retained by the school as a sole supplier.
#D200VoteNo
*We can renovate the boys locker room without spending $44.5M? Only $2.6M of this pool project would be for PE locker room facilities. (latest photo on the OPRFHS.org website)
#D200VoteNo
#D200VoteNo
*Enrollment at OPRFHS topped out at 4350 students during the 1971-72 school year.
In the final Facilities Plan dated 6/30/16 the architectural firm noted on page 2 regarding Enrollment: "For 2015-2016 enrollment was 3,300. The long-term plan needs to accommodate growth for 3,600 students." bringing the projection over 17% less than historical peak population.
*Swimming is the only PE class OPRF high school students are required to take twice? When asked why, board and staff say it's an Illinois requirement. However, there is no Illinois requirement for swimming. At all. No pool is required in a High School. At all.
*Included in the referendum's no bid plan drawn and estimated by the High School retained Architectural/Construction firm, the cost to acquire, demolish, then rebuild a smaller parking garage to accommodate a 40 meter pool is $12.7MILLION? That's BEFORE anything NEEDED happens to any part of the school! #D200VoteNo
*There is no mandate requiring a High School to have a swimming pool. It is increasingly considered a luxury item. BUT having aquatics available is fantastic. Just NOT to the tune of $37,000,000.00! #d200VoteNO
*A "running" toilet can waste two gallons of water per minute (2880 gallons in a 24 hour period). A silent leak in a toilet can waste up to 7,000 gallons of water per month. #d200voteno
*Don't be misled into thinking the D200 Referendum question in November is a comprehensive long-term facilities plan. The referendum plan contains a few add-ons inserted to divert the conversation away from the fact that this would be a $37M swimming pool. #d200voteno
*D97 will place an Operating Referendum question on the ballot in the Spring of 2017 asking for more money?
D200 intends to spend down their current cash reserve (just under $100M) to the point where they too have published a plan forecast which includes placing an Operating Referendum on the ballot in the early 2020's.
#d200voteno
#d200voteno
*The 40Meter pool proposed in the November referendum would have 25% fewer weekly community (TOPS, WSSRA, PDOP) usage hours than currently available?
The 40Meter pool proposed in the November referendum would have 40% fewer weekly community usage hours than the plan the Board passed up which would construct two brand new pools within the current building footprint. #d200voteno
*The current High School parking garage is not yet paid for? And with proper maintenance will last a minimum of 25 more years.
The pool solution coming up for referendum in November calls for tearing it down to make way for a new, smaller parking lot. What does this mean? Spending your money twice, wasting energy and creating a great amount of permanent landfill debris.
#d200voteno
#d200voteno
