Lockport NY

The Buffalo News reported that Michelle Bradley, an assistant superintendent will be named the next superintendent.

Michelle T. Bradley, assistant superintendent for learning and assessment, is expected to be appointed Lockport’s next school superintendent, The Buffalo News learned Monday.
Bradley will be be named to succeed the retiring Terry Ann Carbone at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting, according to sources who could not speak for attribution because the appointment was meant to be confidential...

...Board President John A. Linderman said the board interviewed one in-house candidate in an executive session Wednesday and was in the process of negotiating a contract, which he hoped would be completed in time for this Wednesday’s meeting...

“To look at one is not without precedent in my opinion,” Linderman said.

The LUSJ reported that Carbone has annouced her plans to retire at an unspecified date.

 If a budget vote and the sports complex wasn’t enough for Lockport City Schools to deal with, there was an announcement made Wednesday night that gives the district another issue to be concerned with.

Superintendent Terry A. Carbone told Board of Education members Wednesday that she will retire in the near future. A date for Carbone’s departure has not been set....

Both the Buffalo News and LUSJ reported:

The $5.8 million sports complex project appeared to be headed toward defeat Tuesday, but district personnel were still counting votes at press time.

With 4,678 votes cast Tuesday, 2,365 voted against the project and 2,313 voted in favor of it, meaning the project would have been defeated by 52 votes. But there were still just over 100 absentee ballots to count.

District personnel were still counting those absentee ballots at press time with the measure still losing by 9 votes.

But as evenly split as the community was on the sports complex, it was clearly OK with the $79 million budget, selling DeWitt Clinton School to Niagara County Head Start and the other project on the ballot. That is an $18.9 million capital improvement project that will address needs in a number of district buildings.....

5/17/11

The Buffalo News reported a preview of the Lockport vote. Since it is on the main Lockport page I can't link to it. So it is copied here:

...Four of the candidates advertise themselves as of the same mind, and they haven’t been shy about accusing the current board of being complacent and submissive to the wishes of Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone, who they say has been overseeing the district for five years without accomplishing much of anything.

“I sit and listen to [board members] just pass motion after motion after motion, and there’s no questions being asked,” said Regina L. Marker, a stay-at-home mom with 11 years’ teaching experience in the Lyndonville School District. “I feel like the public meetings are a dog-and-pony show.”

Newcomers Paul R. Black, Luisa Smith and Joe O’Shaughnessy agree with Marker and insist they can bring the needed change to the School Board. But incumbents Thomas W. Fiegl and David M. Nemi strongly reject the notion.

“They’re obviously not involved and have no idea what’s going on with the board,” said Nemi, 53, who is running for a third term. “We challenge [them] on everything....”

5/16/11

Both the LUSJ and The Buffalo News reported on the parking debate for the proposed complex.

Lockport City School District administrators addressed concerns Tuesday afternoon from 4th Ward Alderman Andy Chapman regarding what he saw as a potential parking dilemma at the proposed high school athletics complex.

Residents vote Tuesday on whether the School Board should spend $5.8 million on the construction of a 2,500-capacity artificial turf stadium there as well as the renovation of existing athletic fields. Chapman told Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone via e-mail May 4 that by his calculations, the existing parking availability would leave a void by architectural standards of 875 spaces if a sold-out event were ever held at the complex...

...Once the current $23.5 million capital improvement project is complete at the high school, there would be a total of 393 parking spaces available in the lot. That total would include the bus loop spots on the Locust Street side.

Another 57 spots would be available on Lincoln Avenue and Locust Street, bringing the grand total of parking spaces to 450. District officials said the ratio of people to spots is about 5 to 1, slightly better than the 6.9 to 1 with the Emmet Belknap field. Max Lederer Field has a seating capacity of 1,729 with surrounding parking of 250 spaces between the school and the nearby district office building

Not every resident in the Lockport City School District wants a multiple-sport athletic complex at the high school like the one the School Board is considering bringing to a referendum vote this year, and they showed up to say it at Wednesday night’s board meeting.

Voters turned down a similar proposition in 2008 by 500 votes, and for some, nothing has changed in three years to warrant a second vote.

“What word don’t you understand?” Dorothy Stockton of Dorchester Road asked the board. “No!”

At last month’s board meeting, more than 200 residents packed the room, and most of those that spoke favored the initiative to build a football field large enough to host sectional and regional competitions for sports like soccer and lacrosse.

Roughly 150 attended this month, and most of those that addressed the board cited fiscal uncertainty in the district, state and nation as their biggest hesitation....

After the results of a recent building conditions survey, the Lockport School Board is considering the possibility of placing two propositions for capital projects before voters this year.

In addition to building a student athletic complex, which officials estimated two years ago to cost $6 million, the board may ask residents if it can spend another $15 million on repairs and updates that would bring the district’s buildings in line with state Education Department standards...

While the governor preaches fiscal restraint and responsibility, at least three local school districts will go to voters in the coming weeks and months, seeking multimillion-dollar improvement projects. Several other districts are considering similar proposals.

Some of these projects have been planned for some time, and others are being expedited to get in under the wire, before the state changes its funding for such work....

....For the first time, districts would compete against each other for a chunk of that money, for everything from leaky roofs to football fields with artificial turf. Once the money runs out, no more building projects would get state aid that year....

...Now, as long as local voters approve a building project, the state reimburses a certain proportion, depending on the wealth of the district. Poorer districts such as Niagara Falls get 98 cents back on the dollar; a wealthier district like Orchard Park gets 77 cents on the dollar...

4/25/11

Seems the over abundance of comments has caused Blogger to only show new comments in the RSS feed again and nothing new in the old post itself. All new updates and comments will go here. Sorry for the inconvenience.

4/21/11

As a commenter noted: the LSD has posted some documents concerning the budget over at their website. They are only summary documents but at least they are something. As per my question below of where did the multimillion increase come from: "Employee Benefits" up $2.9M over last year....

Continued at the first post on the budget: LSD Budget 2011-12 (1)

4/25/11

Seems the over abundance of comments have casued Blogger to only show new comments in the RSS feed again and nothing new in the post itself. So a new budget post has been created here: LSD Budget 2011-12 (2)

4/21/11

As a commenter noted: the LSD has posted some documents concerning the budget over at their website. They are only summary documents but at least they are something. As per my question below of where did the multimillion increase come from: "Employee Benefits" up $2.9M over last year.

4/14/11

The  LUSJ reported on the LSD budget that passed the board with a 8-1 vote.

...Adopted 8-1 Wednesday by board members, the $79 million budget would require a $1.5 million — or 4.8 percent — increase in the tax levy...

...Despite coming with a $2.2 million increase in spending, the budget also cuts 38.5 positions. Ten of those positions are retirements that will not be replaced, meaning 28.5 positions will be laid off.

“I think this budget still does provide quality and support for students,” Superintendent Terry A. Carbone said....

...The district lost $4 million in state aid and made $3.9 million in cuts, Carbone said. Lockport would also be using $3 million from its reserves, plus $742,000 from its appropriated fund balance. That would leave about $700,000 in the fund balance. The district was able to find $33,000 in savings with administration and $331,000 with the teachers giving up their career credit program and not taking raises outside of the step increases...

Phelps said she was told, “you will be informed of that when we get into the meeting . . . and then I voted ‘no’ on going into executive session.” The other seven members present voted in favor of holding the closed meeting.

“It seems like the Lockport model is to put the budget together, and then get public input after it’s final,” she said. “I should not be having any discussions on the budget that aren’t before the people. Executive session is not a dress rehearsal.”...

...He affirmed that the justifications for an executive session are few and must be openly disclosed to the public....

...Lockport is looking at creating five primary schools, one intermediate and one middle school. This would be done by keeping kindergarten through fourth grade students at each of the five current elementary schools and moving the fifth- and sixth-graders into Emmet Belknap. North Park would house all of Lockport’s seventh- and eighth-graders. Emmet and North Park would house about 750 kids each, an increase from the 580 that occupy each building now.

But the reorganization plan still needs some fine tuning, Superintendent Terry A. Carbone said last week...

City residents can expect the School Board to present them next week with a $79 million spending plan for the upcoming year that raises property taxes and calls for the restructuring of the district's elementary school buildings.

Despite spending cuts of $3.9 million, the plan represents a 2.6 percent increase in expenditures and a tax levy increase of 5.8 percent based on current assessment property values...

...The district would save $1 million in costs by re-designating the two middle schools -- Emmet Belknap for fifth and sixth grades, North Park for seventh and eighth -- and using the elementary buildings to house kindergarten through fourth grade. Class sizes at the buildings would average 25...

...Eight positions in the district would be lost through attrition and an additional 28.5 full-time equivalent positions would be cut. Last year, the district cut 38 positions...

...If residents vote the spending plan down and the budget is forced into contingency, Carbone said she would have to recommend cuts that included the elementary band program, the school resource officer and library services. Transportation is currently provided to students who live a mile or more away from their school building, but that buffer would likely have to increase as well. "None of those would be good for our district or good for the community," she said...

The complex would be a $5.9 million project, for which Lockport receives 93 percent reimbursement in state aid. Assistant Superintendent of Finance Deborah Coder said the project is contingent on Athletic Director Patrick Burke’s promise to fundraise $750,000 to help cover the unaided costs of the complex. Those would include the press box, locker rooms and concession stand.

Coder said Burke and his organization would have to raise $750,000 by June 30, 2012 to keep the complex alive.

The $18.9 million capital project would address concerns raised by the district’s recent building condition survey. Along with a number of renovations and repairs made to the schools, the project also includes classroom and cafeteria additions at Roy B. Kelley and a cafeteria addition at Anna Merritt Elementary. The additions are needed to reduce congestion in the schools, while two rooms at Roy B. Kelley would be turned into a library.

Board members also heard about something else on the May 17 ballot, the 2011-12 budget. Carbone shared the current version of the budget, a $78.8 million spending plan which is a $1.8 million or 2.3 percent increase from the current school year budget. It would raise the tax levy by 6.84 percent.

The budget features the reduction of 43.5 positions districtwide, including 10 retirements that will not be replaced. Carbone said the district was able to find $33,000 in savings with administration and $331,000 with the teachers giving up their career credit program. The district would also use $670,000 from its unappropriated fund balance and see a savings of $433,000 with its proposed restructuring, which would move fifth and sixth graders into one school while seventh and eighth graders would be in another. The district would have five elementary schools with kindergarten through fourth grade

The way it stands now, the 2011-12 Lockport City School District’s budget would have an 8.21 percent tax levy increase. That’s after the district has cut $3.6 million out of the spending plan.

The current form of the budget includes cutting the full time equivalent of 43.5 positions as well as a major reorganization. The district is looking at creating five primary schools, one intermediate and one middle school. This would be done by keeping kindergarten through fourth grade students at each of the five current elementary schools and moving the fifth- and sixth-graders into one of the two current middle schools. The other middle school would house all of Lockport’s seventh- and eighth-graders.

Trustee Diane Phelps didn’t like how much of the position cuts affected teachers and children in classrooms. Administration should shoulder some of the burden, Phelps said

One of the budget lines discussed included using $876,000 from the district’s capital project reserve. The money would be used to fund two projects without raising taxes if they are approved by voters on the May ballot. Those are the $18.8 million capital improvement project and the controversial high school sports complex which would be around $5.9 million.

Both are expected to be acted upon by the board at its next meeting March 23 at Charles Upson Elementary. If approved, they would be on the May ballot for district residents to decide.

The Buffalo News posted a quick overview of the proposed property tax cap:

For all the talk about the property tax cap that seems headed our way, something has been kind of lost in the hubbub. The details...

...- A district's tax levy increase would be capped at 2 percent or the annual increase in the consumer price index, whichever is less.
- There is a way for schools to exceed the cap. If a district proposes a budget that exceeds the tax cap, the district would need 60 percent approval of the budget, rather than the standard 50 percent.
- If a budget fails to get voter approval, the district would have to submit a revised budget subject to a public vote on the third Tuesday in June. If this revised budget exceeds the tax cap, it would require approval by 60 percent of those voting.
- If the revised budget fails to get voter approval, the district would have to adopt a budget with no tax levy increase...

Something happens as the green "Welcome to New York" sign fades in the rearview mirror when you cross into Massachusetts: Taxes go down.

They are lower on clothing purchases. On gasoline, on furniture, on alcohol and on a range of goods and services. On businesses. And personal income is taxed at a lower rate.
But, most noticeably, property taxes are lower.

As a result of a 30-year-old law limiting their annual growth -- the kind of plan under debate in the New York State Capitol -- sharply rising property taxes no longer dominate kitchen table discussions in Massachusetts...

UPDATE 2/11/11: Comments "froze" and are not displaying except for in the RSS feed. Please feel free to comment in new post.

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The push is growing for a re-vote on the sports complex capital project that was defeated in 2008. The LUSJ reported that Lockport School Board meeting will be held at Charles Upson to handle the possibility of a large turnout over the Sports Complex debate.



LUSJ reported some of the details in the sports section a few days back.

Confident that they can convince a better-informed community and committed to a more vigorous campaign fund drive, proponents of a new sports complex behind Lockport High School also know they face many obstacles in the weeks and months ahead, especially time.

A crowd of about 75 people attended a special meeting at the LHS cafeteria on Monday night, where district athletics director Patrick Burke gave a 45-minute presentation on the proposed $6 million project, which would include a new, artificial turf stadium with lights for football, soccer and other events....

In 2008, state aid would have covered 89 percent of such a project, but now the state offers to cover 93 percent. Since the district’s capital reserve fund holds $5 million, Burke argues that it could support up to a $68 million capital project without raising taxes.

The district might not need to touch the reserve fund, he said. “We are committed to holding fundraising campaigns to raise the local-share portion of the project’s total,” he said. “We would attempt to not use much or any of that fund. It doesn’t need to cost a thing.”

The LUSJ reported that several people are trying to revive the quest for a new Lockport City School District Althletic Complex.

The proposed sports complex at Lockport High School might become a topic of conversation again.

Almost two years to the day it was defeated, a group of speakers asked the Board of Education Wednesday night to reconsider the $6 million project. Originally part of the high school capital project as its second proposition, the complex was voted down 1,797 to 1,296 by district residents in a December 2008 vote. The first proposition was approved 1,708 to 1,442 and is the $23.5 million construction work currently being done on the school.

Greg Bronson, Lockport varsity football head coach, high school teacher and parent, said athletics push students to high levels of achievement. Such a facility would be able to generate revenue, Bronson said, an important factor considering the financial situation school districts face this year. Playing in a complex could draw people to the district, he added...

Lockport School Board members raised serious concerns about the upcoming budget season Wednesday, as several residents called on the board to revisit constructing a new athletic complex.

The possibility of a 2 percent cap on property tax levies — similar to one advocated by Gov.-elect Andrew M. Cuomo— could result in severe cuts to school district budgets next year, Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone said.

Lockport’s levy would be capped at about $600,000, which would mean a $1.5 million cut in expenditures.

Board member Edward Sandell said he expects the board will face at least a $5 million budget gap next year...

...Carbone was disappointed that the budget did not pass but thanked the community for coming to the polls to express their opinion on the budget and frustration with the current financial climate. “I think it’s a reflection of what’s going on across the state and in our community,” she said.
“It was a very good budget that I think we worked very hard on,” said President Marietta Schrader, calling the budget process “transparent.”
Board member David Nemi echoed her sentiments. “We came out and told the public exactly what the tax levy would be,” he said, based on the estimated state aid loss. “We didn’t want to mislead the public...”

...“We were transparent as transparent can be,” Schrader said....

Recent Buffalo News and LUSJ articles reported on the school budget process.

An interesting quote was:

“We need to align our costs to what taxpayers can afford,” resident Glen Miller said.

The district’s state aid was reduced by 9.7 percent for 2010-11, and school officials are looking to taxpayers and reserve funds to make up for the shortfall.

One thing Miller said he would like to see is a reduction to the $30,000 cost per child for transportation. District officials did not have an answer for him.

The School Budget was passed for public vote. The Buffalo News and the LUSJ reported.

The Lockport School Board on Wednesday night voted 6-3 to adopt the proposed $77 million 2010-11 budget.
The plan includes no increase to expenditures, with a 10 percent increase to the tax levy. But Superintendent Terry Anne Carbone called the 10 percent increase “not good,” and said the board is ultimately aiming for a 7 percent tax levy increase.

Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone and Assistant Superintendent of Finance Deborah Coder presented the budget Wednesday to a partially filled Lockport High School auditorium. The budget contains no increase in spending from the current school year, but the $2.1 million increase in the tax levy could raise the property tax rate to $23.99 per $1,000 of assessed land value. Currently, with the tax levy revenue at about $30 million, the rate is about $22.42 per $1,000 of assessed land value.

Buffalo News reported on the school districts response to residents' displeasure over the recommended budget.

Two school closings, extracurricular program cuts, a 40-position reduction and a nearly 12 percent tax levy increase. Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone’s money-saving plan is unpopular with city school district residents — but the School Board isn’t going to change it.

And if voters think they can force changes, they’d better think again....

Lockport was hit with a proposed $3.9 million cut in promised state aid. Another $4 million in inflationary costs leaves the district with a $7.9 million budget hole. The budget — along with its unpopular school closings and tax levy increase— will go to voters May 18, but they have less input than they may think.

If they vote the budget down, the result would be more cuts or a higher tax levy.

“The public thinks if they vote down the budget, we can’t close schools, and that’s not true,” board Vice President John A. Linderman said at a meeting earlier this month. “They really only have a say in a small piece of the budget.”

When the public rejects a school budget, the district is forced to go to a contingency plan based on the consumer price index. This year, the CPI is zero, and the district would be forced to scale back to a zero percent spending increase.

“Last year, our budget was $77 million,” Sandell said. “We are presenting a $77.4 million budget this year. If the public votes no, we have to find a way to make up $400,000. That would be through cuts, a tax levy increase or a combination.”

Came across See Through NY.

Contracts, expenditures, payrolls, and other information on state, city, school districts etc.

Here is the Lockport School District Teacher's Contract: Link

One can also search city employee salaries, etc. I've had no time to really look through any of this information yet but thought I would share.

I just arrived back from the Lockport school district meeting. Proposed was a 0.52% increase in expenditures and an 11% tax levy increase to cover the loss of state funding this year.

John Pound will be "re-purposed" and Dewitt Clinton will be closed. Average class sizes district wide will go to 22 students per class.

In other cuts:
-not filling 6 retirements at the secondary level
-remove school resource officer (though now covered by grant next year)
-reduce staff professional development
-reduce building supply 20%
-eliminate summer school (mention was made that the students will need to be more responsible)
-reduce academic intervention services provided before and after school
-and some others.

The librarians were saved through equipment cuts and some poverty based grants are being sought to supplement their funding. No salary freezes were discussed on any level. Some of the reserve funds will be drawn down (roughly $3M) though some, like the capital reserve, can only be used for certain purposes.

"Living within our means" was the theme from the supervisor. This will most likely not be the last year of budget struggles. What will the future hold for further alignment of our budget?

Although the school nearest me was proposed for the re-purpose, I still feel Dewitt Clinton should have been saved instead. It has the least going for it in terms of reuse and is probably one of the only anchors in that part of town. It was a disservice not having the city involved in this process.

I'll link the official news stories tomorrow morning.

UPDATE 03/11/10
Buffalo News Reported
LUSJ Reported

LUSJ reporting:

Tonight’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Lockport High School auditorium, 250 Lincoln Ave. The meeting was moved from the district offices on Beattie Avenue, the regular meeting place for the board in anticipation for a large turnout tonight, similar to the past couple of meetings, when supporters of a few schools have shown up — most notably from John Pound and DeWitt Clinton elementary schools.

Last week, district officials said the meeting had been moved to North Park Middle School before announcing the meeting had been moved again.

To help offset the financial hardships Lockport has to face with the 2010-11 budget, the district said last week it would be closing an elementary school and re-purposing another. The move is expected to save about $1.2 million. Carbone said Tuesday she has met with the staffs of the schools that could be affected if the budget picture doesn’t change.

Both the Buffalo News and the LUSJ have reported an update on the school budget cutting process.

Lockport City Schools will close an elementary school and “re-purpose” another, Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone said Wednesday. The schools are just two of the many cuts the district will have to make in order to create a budget in these economic times, Carbone said. Other cuts include the reduction of 40 positions — including 23 layoffs — districtwide, the elimination of summer school, reductions in materials and supplies, the loss of the Early Start and summer reading programs, as well as after-school programs....

...Even with $4 million in cuts laid out, the district may need to raise its tax levy by as much as 10 percent to plug a $7.9 million hole. The district faces a $3.9 million cut in state aid as rollover operating costs jump by $4 million....

This is painful,” Carbone said. “It doesn’t help anybody. But if someone else out in the community has an idea of how to come up with $4 million, I would be glad to entertain any ideas.”...


...The rest of the cuts Carbone recommended Wednesday:
• Of 40 positions minimum that must be eliminated, 14 will be retirements. The rest will come from layoffs, and the figure of 40 will swell as the budget is finalized.
• The district will end its summer school program for all grade levels, requiring students to cover their own costs for BOCES summer programs in Niagara Falls or Medina.
• After-school and academic intervention programs for K through grade 8 and summer reading offerings for all grade levels will be eliminated.
• Materials and supplies will be reduced by 30 percent.
• E-mails sent by the administration to elementary library media specialists indicate those five positions will be cut. Other nonmandated programs, including art and music, may also face cuts.
The School Board may take action on the budget at Wednesday’s meeting. With a large turnout expected, the meeting has been moved to North Park Middle School’s auditorium, where the public portion is scheduled for 7 p. m

Buffalo News reported that the Lockport School District is considering removing dedicated librarians as part of their budget balancing maneuvers.

The effect of a $7.9 million deficit is rippling throughout the Lockport School District, with libraries as a possibility for the next hit.

Administrators e-mailed the district’s certified library media specialists last month, warning that their positions may be eliminated for the next school year.

The five positions are shared by the district’s seven elementary schools to teach computer classes and staff library periods.

If cut, teachers would absorb some librarian duties, while other programming, such as dedicated library periods, could be eliminated. It was not immediately clear whether librarian’s assistants would also be affected...

...Schrader and Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone have told The Buffalo News that closing candidates include DeWitt Clinton, John E. Pound and Washington Hunt elementary schools. The three are the district’s oldest and most technologically outdated, and they cost the most to maintain....

...In Lockport, closing a school has been a discussion for at least a decade, Carbone said. The district’s incoming kindergarten class this year was about 30 students below previous years, the superintendent said. Still, the district had always been able to afford keeping all of its seven elementary schools open and offer lower class sizes. A $7.9 million deficit changes that...

...Most elementary schools throughout Niagara County have about 20 students in an average class. For the 2008-09 school year, according to state records, DeWitt Clinton had 18, while John E. Pound and Washington Hunt had 19 each. The schools that stay open could be affected, too. Roy Kelley Elementary, for instance, has an average class size of 17, which could go up if it absorbs students from a closed school...

...Although selling the closed school building would be ideal, it’s unlikely the district will find a buyer anytime soon, Carbone said. Instead, the buildings can be repurposed and create space for other district services, such as records management and technology storage. District officials are reviewing budget scenarios and data to make a final determination. The future should look clearer by the board’s next meetings, Wednesday and March 10. A final budget, along with a closure plan, must be approved by April...

The Lockport School District reveals which school it is looking to close tomorrow. Over the weekend I had planned on doing some research on school reuse but never really got around to it. An internet search revealed a surprisingly large amount of instances of municipalities trying to firgure out what to do with old schools.

A few are:
Portland Maine
Washington DC
Kasson City

A lot of them reference reuse studies. I hope the school district and the city have something lined up for discussion of the fate of the closed building. My initial thoughts are an old school in a real estate market such as Lockport will most likley hold a negative net worth for any use beyond a school. While it would be nice for the district to see some money from the transaction the greater gain, (or loss) in worth will be experienced by the neighborhood around the structure. The city and district should see that something is set up to promote a reuse. A boarded building or if demoed, an empty lot will most likely see a run similar to the 30yr one of the South Block. But what should the reuse be?

If they close Washington Hunt, I'd be happy if the hospital took responsibility for it and its upkeep. Use it for future expansion of outpatient services or for 3rd party medical office space.

If they close John Pound, I'd be happy if the city were to work with a local developer to transition the structure to residential. Yahoo, Inlighten, and other companies will most likely contain a demographic of people looking for newer up to date loft-type living. It is one block from S. Transit and 3 blocks from Main. As far as I know the city (nor the town) can not offer anything like that. An example from Buffalo is here.

Is Charlotte Cross considered a "school" in this discussion? If closed I could see it as the new location of the Lockport Police Dept. It has been known that the police are looking for a space of their own (like a portion of the old Harrison plant) in light of the space squeeze going on at city hall. Why not adapt an old school on a main city street? They could also keep the gym open for some youth programs.

I tried to stick to something that would fulfill an existing need without adding new cost loads (such as stand alone community centers, etc.) Any other initial thoughts out there?

We shall see what the city or district has to say tomorrow night.