Save our school!

by Tracy Alden

THIS IS THE STORY OF A GROUP OF CITIZENS FROM Western Springs, 111., a western suburb of Chicago, who converted a 100-year-old school that was slated for the wrecking ball, into the Grand Avenue Community Center. The energy and spirit that went into this accomplishment ranged on a scale from monotonous to monumental with the final result being the seldom seen win-win situation. The center, which opens early every day with preschool activities and remains open late every evening with high school, adult and special programs, is the culmination of hard work, community involvement, and a little bit of good luck and charm.

In 1980, the Western Springs School District #101 Board decided that two elementary schools had to be closed due to declining enrollments. After much deliberation, the board chose to close Maurice dark School and Grand Avenue School —the Village's oldest public building. It was decided to close the schools at the end of the 1980-81 school year.

Although Grand Avenue School may have been the oldest school building on the outside, its interior had been completely gutted and renovated in 1974, making it one of the better maintained buildings in the district. The exterior of the two-story, limestone building built in 1885, had been maintained beautifully. Inside, it was equipped with a new boiler, new heat-pump heating and air conditioning systems, new plumbing and fixtures, new electrical wiring and lights, and new classroom equipment.

Still, based on the number of children and their proximity to other schools, the building was still slated for closing. The school district did not want to sell the schools in case one or both would have to be reopened. It chose to lease classrooms to various

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groups. With Grand Avenue School in excellent condition, there was no problem finding tenants to fill the classrooms.

Tenants included the recreation department; independent contractors for a childcare; dance and music services, the Western Springs Historical Society, and a credit union. This arrangement was beneficial for all parties. The school district was covering building operating expenses; the recreation department was expanding its programs; and the Historical Society and credit union had office spaces.

During the summer of 1983, the recreation department and childcare contractors decided that they could expand programs and services by leasing space in Maurice dark School. It was larger than the Grand Avenue School so it provided more options for programming. The Village proceeded with plans to set up childcare services, dance, music, drama, karate, exercise classes, preschool classes, arts and crafts, volleyball, and basketball activities. The Village and school board negotiated a lease for Clark School that would go into effect on Jan. 1,1984. Since the school board was losing its key tenants at Grand Avenue, its future looked dim. Thoughts turned to selling this idle asset.

The market was tight for developing available land and developers were prepared to pay for landand build. Opposition sprang up quickly from citizens citing the historical value of the building, saying that they had bought the school through tax dollars and that it should be turned over to the Village. Legal, technical and financial concerns resulted in the school board's decision to sell the building which had an appraised value of $490,000. This set the stage for a series of events that would test the emotional and spiritual wills of many individuals. It would involve the entire Village, from elected officials to every concerned resident.

School board member Jeanctte Martin was the sole dissenter when the board voted in 1981 to close Grand Avenue School. She realized that the board had a fiscal responsibility. She accepted the situation and worried about the fate of the old building. In 1983, with the future of the building in jeopardy, she decided something had to be done to save it as a public facility. In May of that year, she met with Liz Hindmarch during a League of Women Voters discussion about the future of the school. Hindmarch, who had a personal interest in local history and had attended the Grand Avenue School, agreed to work with Martin to see what could be done.

First, they tried to obtain landmark status for the school to prevent its destruction. But they found an application would be denied because of the extensive alterations that had been made to the interior. They did succeed in having the school placed in the National Register of Historic Places, but this did not guarantee preservation.

Hoping to add some credibility to their cause, the two women requested the involvement of the Western Springs Historical Society. Later in 1983, they were able to have questions regarding the use of the schools included in an attitude survey conducted by

" We've got energy! We 've got spirit! We've got will, and we're going to get it done. I've lived in many small towns, and this is defineitly one of those towns that is special." ... Victory was near, but the battle was not yet won.

the Village. Survey results showed a resounding 85 percent positive response for saving the building and surrounding open space. These still did not stop the planned sale of the school.

In January 1984, Bob Kemper, a concerned citizen and community leader, wrote a letter to both local newspapers supporting the preservation of the school. His published letter inspired and renewed discussions that led to the formation of the first impromptu meeting at the home of Martin. Twenty people attended. At a rally held shortly after that first meeting, Kemper gave an impassioned and eloquent speech. He asked the school board to give interested parties time to come up with an alternative to selling the school. "Let's not end it here," he said. The school board agreed. It created a task force to study alternative uses for the school.

This group of civic-minded, concerned citizens had informally formed what would become the nucleus of the future Western Springs Community Center Association (WSCCA). The group's cause was clear — to save Grand Avenue School.

People disagreed about how the building should be used. Some favored full or limited development of the building and land. A proposal for senior housing was seriously considered but eventually dropped because it was too expensive. Some wanted youth services; others wanted dance and ballet space. Still, others favored a cultural center. The strongest common thread among all interests was tied to the historical significance of the building. That's what kept them working together.

Meanwhile, time was running out for the fledgling group. Financial constraints eliminated many proposals. The need for a concrete alternative proposal to present to the school board was growing. Many were frustrated by the lack of progress. A plan had to be devised by the May 21,1984, deadline set earlier by the board.

The first positive sign came in March 1984. The Western Springs Historical Society passed a resolution in support of preserving the Grand Avenue School. The society offered volunteers and money. A $20,000 pledge from the historical society would soon be a key ingredient in the plan.

Next came letters of support and commitments from groups interested in being tenants. The task force prepared a financial plan that included budget projections and general economic forecasts. Something more formal was now needed.

Meanwhile, the task force was evolving from a loose association of individuals into an entity with viable ideas and practical ways to get things done. Members voted to incorporate into a not- for-profit association. Possible names included the Grand Avenue School Committee and the Grand Recreation and Space Supporters (GRASS). They finally settled on the Western Springs Community Center Association. The WSCCA was incorporated on June 7,1984. Though new to the community, Charles Neal was elected its first president. He demonstrated a strong speaking ability, salesmanship and thoroughness on writing by-laws. He

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also possessed an indescribable leadership train, mixed with a strong will to get things done. His attitude was, "Let's try. I don't know that it can't be done."

At the decisive May 21,1984 school board meeting, a formal proposal was presented in an impassioned plea to save the building. The offer was not considered adequate by several members of the board because it contained some unacceptable funding figures. Some members wanted to sell the school and end the issue.

Kemper's logic and eloquence prevailed once again. He explained; that this group of citizens formed this grassroots effort from absolutely nothing, and that terminating that effort would be wrong. The school board granted a one-month extension.

During that 30-day period, some critical events look place. First, proceeds from an 1982 sale of an old park district owned building were sitting in the park district's bank account. It was determined that the money should be used to purchase a park in honor of veterans, and pledged to buy several lots adjoining the Grand Avenue School building. Then, the library board saw an opportunity to expand parking and pledged to buy a lot. Additional parking would benefit both the library and school. Also, the League of Women voters had just completed a study on the adaptive reuse of schools and gave its support to the WSCCA. The association has two more solid financial commitments and more community support.

Other good news included positive newspaper coverage, the granting of not-for-profit status to the WSCCA and more than $16,000 was raised by individual contributions for seed money. the proposal to the school board was revised and seemed strong, especially now that WSCCA was a legal entity.

"We've got energy. We've got spirit. We've got will, and we're going to get it done," said Neal with a general's confidence at the June 1984 school board meeting. "I've lived in many small towns, and this is definitely one of those towns that is special," he added with pride as he continued recognizing the Herculean efforts of so many. Victory was near, but the battle was not yet won.

The school board agreed unanimously to let the WSCCA proceed with its proposal, rather than put the property up for auction. The plan called for the WSCCA to raise a $ 100,000 down payment by Jan. 1,1985, which was less than six months away, in addition to the commitments made from the park district, library and historical society. Also, the school could not be sold directly to the WSCCA except through an auction. The WSCCA know that there was no way they could outbid a developer at an auction. But, two taxing bodies, the school board and the Village Board, could negotiate a selling price. The Village would have to buy the building. The next challenge was to sell the idea to the Village.

Negotiations are never easy. There were no exceptions as the Village, school board and WSCCA worked towards a solution agreeable to all. Village officials felt it would not be wise to assume financial responsibility for another facility since, dark Recreation Center, a facility administered by the Village, was projected to run a $23.000 deficit in 1984.

But, to ensure that the community truly wanted the building saved, the Village decided to place the question on the ballot as a referendum. The referendum would authorize the Village to levy a tax for the purpose of paying off bonds on the Grand Avenue School should the WSCCA be unable to. If fund-raising efforts by the WSCCA proved successful, the Village would abate the tax for that year. If fund-raising failed to pay the bonds, the Village would have the right to sell the building. The referendum posed another hurdle for the WSCCA. No one had ever dealt with i a referendum before. Diana Nelson, a former State Representative who was knowledgeable in the ways of politics and referenda, organized the educational campaign. The referendum passed in November 1984 by a 3-to-l margin.

Today, the WSCCA is an established and active group whose accomplishments continue to grow. They have exceeded fund-raising goals each year. Bond payments are five years ahead of schedule, saving thousands of dollars in interest payments. The building is active seven days-a-week from early morning until late evening. The center now houses licensed childcare for 80; two active dance studios; four music rooms; a 100-member adult community chorus; rehearsal space for music, dance and theater groups; the Village cable television studio; the Western Springs Historical Society; a fully-scheduled gymnasium; an annual craft show, book fair and other special events; and meeting rooms for various groups and programs.

About the Author:

Tracy Alden is Director of Recreation at the Village of Western Springs Recreation Department.

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