Congratulations to the District 200 board for approving the scope of Project 2, which is long overdue and will go very far in improving the education of OPRF High School students for generations to come. This school is the crown jewel of our community and the reason many people choose to move to Oak Park and River Forest. Let’s continue to treat it that way!
There are members of the community who may still be under the impression that Project 2 is just about a swimming pool, and this is just not true. We have been on tours of the school and seen firsthand the old locker rooms, cramped bathrooms, and leaking roofs in the physical education (PE) areas. Most alarming to us was an unsafe wheelchair ramp that in no way meets ADA standards. This is just not acceptable in a 21st century building.
As we mentioned previously, this school has been here for 100 years, and it will be here in another 100 years. The decision is not if Project 2 should start; the decision is when it should start. And the answer clearly is to do this as soon as possible.
It is for this reason that we very strongly support Financing Scenario #4 as outlined in the Finance Committee Presentation. This is the only scenario that will allow the project to start with the minimum amount of delay and at the lowest cost to taxpayers.
This board was elected by a democratic process to make this very type of decision. The project has been vetted by the community through the Imagine Group, so we encourage the D200 board to move forward with Project 2 under Financial Scenario #4.
We appreciate the thorough approach that the board has taken so far to address this measure and are hopeful that they will be the board responsible for finally making these much-needed improvements to our school.
Lastly, please look at Project 2 not as something for this current group of students but instead as an improvement for students for the next 100 years.
Meg & Jordan Chalmers
River Forest
