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LISTEN: DPS61 releases FAQ regarding potential Lincoln Park project

Jul 13, 2022 | 8:00 AM

July 13, 2022 – The Decatur Public School Board released an FAQ to respond to questions and concerns regarding a potential plan to build a new Dennis School in Lincoln Park. See the FAQ’s from the School Board below as well as a podcast with DPS61 Board members, Dan Oakes and Regan Lewis:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Proposed New School

Decatur Public Schools is excited about the possibility of building a new neighborhood school to serve students who currently attend school at two separate campuses. DPS has considered several locations for a new school facility. In partnership with the Decatur Park District, District #61 is currently considering a portion of the Lincoln Park area. However, no final decision or agreement has been made. But we do want to offer some information to our community as we continue conversations about the possibility of a new school.

 

Why do we need a new school to replace Dennis? – Dennis Lab School’s current dual campus facilities are the oldest buildings in the District with students and grade levels spread across the two campuses. The Mosaic campus, the original Dennis location on West Main Street, was built in 1910; the Kaleidoscope campus, formerly French Academy on West Wood Street, was built in 1914. With the current dual campus configuration, in some cases siblings are split up into separate buildings and ride separate buses or families have to drop off students at two separate locations. While staff and students are making this dual campus configuration work for the time being, the campuses don’t offer students the same learning environments they experience at other schools throughout the District. There is little green space at either location and the Mosaic campus on West Main is not ADA-accessible – there are only stairs to reach all three levels, no elevator. Our priority is to provide an equitable learning experience for all DPS students, and that includes ensuring the best possible learning environments for each and every student. 

 

Dennis gets so much attention, why does it need this as well? – The Dennis Lab School concept has proven to be successful for students and families, but the schools currently occupied by Dennis students and staff are the two oldest facilities still in use District-wide. The limited space in the Dennis Mosaic and Kaleidoscope campuses doesn’t offer students the same learning environments they experience at other schools throughout the District. Again, our priority is to provide an equitable learning experience for all DPS students.

 

If the District is seeking equitable learning environments, why are other construction projects on hold? –We are evaluating how to best address the future needs of the District as a whole, and this includes all major projects. We need to look at project plans, material availability, increase in costs, and construction staff availability to determine how the projects should move forward. When it comes to the American Dreamer STEM Academy construction project specifically, the single project bid received was 235% over the original cost estimate. This project was put on hold for the time being to examine the bid and how to move forward. But just because something is on hold does not mean it won’t continue.

 

How much money will be spent on this proposed new school project?- The proposed budget is $35-38 million of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER funds, more commonly known as CARES funding. DPS has been allotted a total of $76 million in ESSER/CARES funds, which we must allocate by September 30, 2022, or we will lose. You can find a breakdown of how much DPS was allotted in each of the ESSER/CARES installments and how that money has been planned to be spent at engage.dps61.org. We were approved by the state legislature in April 2022 to spend this federal money on building a new school.

 

What other location options were considered and why were they not chosen?

  • Fairview Park: not viable due to numerous utilities running through the park area
  • Kiwanis Park: not viable due to the location of a floodplain
  • Former Woodrow Wilson site: not enough adequate land or space within the location’s footprint for a new modern K-8 building; NOTE: DPS no longer owns this site, it is privately owned
  • South of the Millikin baseball field along Fairview Avenue: Millikin University is holding this location for possible future expansion 
  • Former Oak Grove site on Center Street: location is outside of the Dennis neighborhood, many current Dennis students would have to be bused much further from where they live
  • Former Durfee site on Grand Avenue: this location is in the process of being sold
  • Current Dennis locations: neither site is big enough to build a new facility to house all students in one building with adequate green space and parking

 

Why is Lincoln Park being considered as the location to build a new school? – Lincoln Park offers enough land for both school construction and an outdoor play area, including green space. The location is also within the neighborhood where many current Dennis students live, as shown in the following map:


The Lincoln Park location also meets one of the Decatur Park District’s goals within its Master Plan of reducing its footprint while maintaining community partnerships. 

 

Will park amenities continue to be available for public use? – The cycling and walking path and some green space would continue to be maintained by the Park District and still be available to the community. Additionally, playground facilities, basketball courts, and a pavilion would be included as part of the proposed new school facility and be available for community use.

 

Why are all the trees marked in Lincoln Park? – The trees were numbered as part of the ongoing property survey so that there is a record of all of them in the survey, including the position of landmark trees and scrub trees. The number on the tree is the diameter of the tree. This is simply part of the surveying process. Because a tree is marked does not necessarily mean it will be cut down if a new structure is built in the area. The property survey is not yet complete, it’s estimated to be completed in mid-July.

 

Why has this been kept quiet for so long? – At this time, the District is still in the early due diligence stages of this potential project. No decisions or agreements have been made. Once the District is closer to securing a location, we will begin meeting with stakeholders regarding needs and expectations.

 

What is the plan for the current Dennis buildings?  – At this time, DPS administration is looking at all facilities District-wide and will be making recommendations to the Board of Education.

 

What happens when commercial property doesn’t sell in Decatur? – That is why we are having discussions with the Board at this time. We need to start planning for the future and not just the “right now.”

 

Will students receive transportation or will they walk to this new building?- As is standard practice for all DPS students, those who live outside of a 1.5 mile radius from the school building, or those who must cross a hazardous roadway in order to get to the school, will receive transportation.

 

What does this do to the District’s school boundaries?- There is a possibility that school boundaries would need to shift again, based on the increased capacity of a new school facility and shifting demographics of students and families. The boundaries will be closely assessed if the decision is made to move forward.

 

Is flooding an issue with the proposed Lincoln Park site?- We have looked at FEMA floodplain maps and have no indication that the proposed site is in a floodplain. Site engineers have said that flooding has not been and will not be an issue in the future at the proposed site.

 

Will DPS need flood insurance for the proposed school?- DPS will need to consult with its insurance provider in order to determine if that would be necessary.

 

Are there bald eagles in the Lincoln Park area? Is this a wildlife preservation area?- There is no indication that there is a bald eagle nest in Lincoln Park at this time, but we are still in the investigatory phase. We have not been made aware that this is a wildlife preservation area. If bald eagles are present, we will follow state and federal guidelines for their protection.

 

What will happen to the brick streets around the proposed Lincoln Park site?- We have no intention of removing the brick streets.

 

Will roadway access to the area need to be modified?- There is no plan to modify existing roadways at this time. There is a possibility that streets that would fall within potential school property would be modified.

 

Is Lincoln Park part of a National Historic Preservation Area? – Not that we are aware of.

 

How will it impact the school district budget? – If this project does move forward, DPS will use federal pandemic relief funds to pay for the new school facility. DPS was granted a waiver to do so by the Illinois General Assembly in April, and as such, the use of federal funds to pay for a new school building will not impact the school district’s budget.

 

How will it impact taxpayers? – If this project does move forward, DPS will use federal pandemic relief funds to pay for the new school facility. DPS was granted a waiver to do so by the Illinois General Assembly in April, and as such, the use of federal funds to pay for a new school building will not impact the local tax levy for this project.

 

When was the waiver approved by the Illinois General Assembly? – On April 9, 2022, District #61 was granted a waiver by a bipartisan vote of Illinois lawmakers, giving DPS the authority to build a new school using federal pandemic relief funds. State statute currently allows school districts the authority to build without a referendum if 50 percent or more of the project’s funding comes from sales tax. DPS and another district petitioned the legislature to apply this same concept to using federal funds and it was approved. These funds include Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER, or more commonly known as CARES) grant funds. Seeking this authority streamlined the process for building the potential new DPS facility and will assist the District in meeting the stringent timeline of grant funding. You can read the full text of the waiver on page 506 of this document on the ILGA website.

 

What will the next move be in determining if you build a new school? – No final decision has been made at this time; however, discussions will continue with the Decatur Park District to determine the feasibility of utilizing a portion of Lincoln Park. We will of course keep our community updated and seek their input as the process evolves.

 

How much of the $76 million will you use?  – The proposed facility is budgeted at approximately $35-38 million. The rest of the ESSER/CARES funding that has been allotted to DPS has and is being spent on a variety of projects, including technology upgrades, salaries and benefits for staff, other facility upgrades throughout the District, the Extended Day program, and many other projects and programs. You can find more information at engage.dps61.org

 

What is the timeline you need to get this done to use the money?  –ESSER/CARES funds must be allocated by September 30, 2022.