The high school said its board had come to a conclusion just last week on how to pay for its new swimming facility after a discussion that took two years. We’d have sworn we’ve been writing editorials on this subject for far, far longer but think we’d all agree that this has been one of Oak Park and River Forest high School’s most extended, most ridiculous public debates in memory.
And with the decision to spend $20 million taxpayer dollars from its seemingly endless reserve of taxpayer dollars and to pair that with $17.5 million in non-referendum bonds (actually dollars borrowed from future taxpayers) we’d suggest the possibility that the discussion is not yet concluded.
Some close observers of government funding call non-referendum bonds by the rather less bland name of a backdoor referendum. In other words, critics would say that tax hikes need to be approved by voters via referendum and that issuing these $17.5 million in bonds is sneaky. And subject to petition challenge.
We shall see.
In any case, we applaud the Oak Park and River Forest High School board for bringing this endless debate to a possible close. We have long supported the need for OPRF to replace its two obsolete pools. At $37.5 million, the new pool will come in at less than some plans previously floated.
That its construction requires the demolition of the school’s only parking garage is more than unfortunate. The village government, which owns this useful but money-sapping garage, is likely dancing a jig as its depleted parking fund is resuscitated. But the high school’s press release reporting that OPRF is “working closely with the village of Oak Park on a parking plan” is just silly. The only plan is to put 300 cars back onto the streets near the high school and, for the life of us, we don’t know why neighbors are silent.
If nothing else, having this decision potentially behind it, will allow the school board and its administration to refocus on actual education matters. The pool has been a major distraction for far too long.