Whether it is the Village spending money or the School District --- it all comes from the same pocket --- Ours !
The Schools say they do not have enough students to use all the building capacity they have. And unless we import even more students from Milwaukee, it does not look like our student population is going to grow anytime soon, if ever. Especially as the Village Board is now entertaining thoughts of reducing the housing units in Shorewood, by subsidizing the transformation of duplexes into single family homes.
Fewer housing units = fewer families = fewer students
And yes I know --- if we build enough High End Condos and Nursing Homes --- the case can be made that housing units will actually increase --- but I doubt we will see many students spawned from those kinds of developments.
The Village has a problem in that the Police Department is housed in facilities that are too small.
Just maybe the Two Problems that need to be Solved --- can be Solved using Existing Facilities.
One Possible Solution to the School Problem that has been Floated is to Close SIS and convert Lake Bluff and Atwater to K through 8 Schools.
This would result in an Empty Building !!
A building that on the surface appears to be of Adequate Size for the SPD --- has an expandable receiving area and drive for covered parking and Prisoner Intake --- room for the Municipal Court --- and plenty of Parking in the area.
I know this is Not the Sexy kind of Project that our Village Board and School District Board prefer ---
Why Keep a Perfectly Good Building When It Can be Torn Down and a New Building Put Up ........................
An added bonus to the use of the SIS building, is that it is Not on the Tax Rolls now ---- whereas, if we used a Site like the one on Kensington and Oakland where the Mobil Station is --- we Lose Taxable Property !!
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ???
