Boelter Associates

Consulting Engineers and Scientists

Daniel M. Podraza, Senior Environmental Consultant

Mostardi Platt Environmental

Joseph J. Macak III, Principal Consultant

Franczek Sullivan P.C.

Ares G. Dalianis, Attorney

BP Naperville Campus

Michelle Graham, Director, Government and Public Affairs

Valerie Corr, Press Officer

Associated Property Counselors, Ltd.

Dale J. Kleszynski, MAI, SRA

James McNaughton Builders

James McNaughton, President and CEO

Steven R. Gregory, Chief Operating Officer

Jenner & Block

James A. Vroman, Environmental Attorney

City of Warrenville

Ron Mentzer, Community Development Director

Bovis Lend Lease Inc.

Jeffrey A. Riemer, Executive Vice President

Legat Architects

Patrick J. Brosnan, AIA, President

The New Middle School

Myths

Facts

The District has not considered all options for relocating or renovating Hubble.

• The Board of Education studied five options, some with multiple variations, over a four-year period before deciding a new school in the southwest part of the District was the best alternative.

Renovating Hubble is the least expensive option.

• New school design based on programs offered (186,000 sq. ft.): $46.8 million, plus $7.6 million for property = $54.5 million total project.

• Renovating Hubble based on programs offered (includes small addition and phased construction): $55.7 million total project.

• Any renovation of Hubble would have to be phased over several years.

• Current stormwater management regulations would be in effect for any renovation that increases the footprint of the building, thus increasing costs.

• The cost of the new school would be partially offset by the sale of the existing Hubble site.

• Tax dollars generated by the redevelopment of the Hubble site would be lost if the existing Hubble is renovated.

Myth

Fact

The Board’s delay in purchasing the Herrick Road site cost taxpayers $3 million.

• The $4.5 million sale price discussed in 2002-03 was for 10.4 acres or $432,692 an acre.

• The current contract for $7.6 million is for 18.6 acres or $408,602 an acre.

The contract for the Herrick Road property was negotiated by District personnel who are not qualified real estate brokers.

• The contract was negotiated by the District’s outside counsel, Ares Dalianis, of the Chicago law firm of Franczek Sullivan, in consultation with a qualified appraiser holding the MAI designation (Member, Appraisal Institute), the highest professional recognition for a real estate appraiser.

• The purchase price was agreed to using data on 19 sales of comparable properties in the area.

The district has hidden information about the contract and the negotiations for the middle school site.

• Provisions of the contract have been fully disclosed and the contract itself has been made available to any citizen who has requested a copy.

There are unreported contingencies in the contract for the Herrick Road property.

• The District has said since negotiations for the property started that the contract would include three contingencies. They are:

-A positive risk assessment study, which has been delivered.

-An NFR letter from the Illinois EPA.

-A successful referendum.

• The other contingencies, which are clearly stated in the contract that has been publicly released, are typical components of a real estate contract. These contingencies are for:

-soil test, engineering studies and report

-flood plain, flood hazard or wet land area

-archeological survey

There were not enough soil samples taken to adequately judge the environmental safety of the site.

• When the next round of testing is completed on April 19, 2007, there will have been 56 environmental soil samples taken and analyzed, approximately three per acre. The IEPA has reviewed all soil samples collected and approved the current Work Plan.

Warrenville will not contribute any money toward the relocation of Hubble to that community.

• The City of Warrenville is now prohibited from using TIF funds to help purchase the property, but it has pledged to facilitate the installation of public improvements on or near the site.

Myth

Fact

There will not be as much usable space in the new school as exists in the current Hubble.

• The new school is smaller in square feet, but the new design will do more in less space.

• The smaller footprint will save significant operating dollars each year.

• The new school was designed in conjunction with faculty and staff to efficiently accommodate the needs and program of the middle school.

The new school will not have multiple gyms, auditoriums, and other amenities that Hubble has.

• The program driven middle school design includes a large gym, a small gym, and a fitness center.

• The plan also includes spaces that Hubble does not have, e.g., drama classroom, presentation/lecture room, commons area for each grade.

The Herrick Road property identified for a new middle school is on a flood plain.

• The most current versions of the FEMA and DuPage County Floodplain maps clearly document that the property is not located in a floodplain area.

• The property was on the edge of a historical flood plain. (Historical refers to 120,000 to 10,000 years ago.)

• Wheaton Warrenville South High School sits on the edge of the same historical flood plain.

Land development costs and infrastructure costs are not included in the $46.8 million estimated school cost.

• The estimated costs do, in fact, include infrastructure costs and costs to develop off-site storm water detention.

A stormwater detention pond to be located on vacant BP owned property adjacent to the proposed school site will contaminate the school’s water supply.

• Stormwater runoff and groundwater migrates from the north to the south in this area. The school will be located north of the BP ‘buffer’ property and north of the proposed stormwater detention pond.

• Locating the detention pond in an easement on the adjacent, vacant BP property frees up two to three acres of land on the school site for other student oriented purposes, such as athletic fields.

• The City of Warrenville negotiated the shared stormwater management easement agreement with BP specifically to enhance the usability and safety of the proposed school site.

Myth

Fact

Water on the proposed school site is not safe to drink.

• The new school would be connected to the City of Warrenville’s municipal water system for drinking and fire protection purposes.

• Regular required testing confirms that the City of Warrenville municipal water in full compliance with the drinking water standards established by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

• If for any reason the City’s municipal well system becomes contaminated, the City may access and distribute Lake Michigan water.

Eight feet of soil need to be removed from the site before construction can start.

• Substantial soil testing has been completed that indicates the soil is structurally sound and well within industry standards.

• Only one of the soil boring locations was recommended for soil removal beyond normal expectations. That removal is based on geotechnical concerns, not environmental.

• This boring is far from the proposed location of the new building.

An emergency access road is planned due to the property’s proximity to the BP Campus.

• The secondary emergency vehicle access road is being provided to insure that fire trucks and ambulances can access the school site should the main entry become blocked for any reason.

• Most municipalities and fire departments require multiple means of emergency vehicle access to new projects such as this.

Busing costs will increase if the new school is built in Warrenville.

• Busing costs are determined by route, not by distance. Currently, only four students walk to Hubble. The rest are bused.

There is not adequate space in the community to relocate the non-school functions currently held at Hubble.

• The District will work with the Wheaton Park District and other renters to relocate their programs to other schools. Outdoor activities can be relocated to other fields, the high school fieldhouses, and the high school stadiums.

• All current users of Hubble can be accommodated at other District 200 locations. In addition, the redevelopment of Hubble will include open space.

• The District is also in discussions with the park district regarding the installation of an artificial surface on the football field at Monroe Middle School, a project that would open up the field for more activities.

Myth

Fact

The District has inflated the potential tax benefits of developing the Hubble property.

• A professional financial consultant has estimated the District could receive an additional $16 to $21.2 million in property taxes over the next 20 years if the property is developed as a high density multi-use project.

District 200 offered a no bid contract to architects.

• Legat Architects was selected through an interview process. State law requires school districts to select architects based on their performance and prohibits them from seeking formal or informal fee estimates prior to their selection.

• Following selection, fees are negotiated for each project.

Hiring architects to design a new school and prepare bid documents before a successful referendum is a waste of taxpayer money.

• Construction on the new school could begin one year earlier using this approach and save taxpayers about $2.6 million in inflation costs.

The architect’s fee for the project is $3 million.

• The fee will be approximately $2.6 million based on 6.75 percent of the actual construction cost.

• In addition to the architect services, the fee includes services of civil engineers, structural engineers, and mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineers, a total of more than 25 licensed professionals.

It will take the Illinois EPA more than two years to complete its study of the site and to decide if it will issue an NFR letter.

• After the EPA has received the results from additional testing and samples, based on the Work Plan the agency has approved, it takes 90 days or less to act on the NFR request. All tests and sampling will be completed and analyzed by early May and the results will be submitted in a report required by the IEPA. The timeline starts then.

The decision to change Hubble’s attendance boundaries has already been made.

• A committee is working to study this possibility and will make recommendations to the Board of Education. Parents and community members will have ample opportunity to respond to the recommendations before any decisions are made.

• The committee’s preliminary review of options indicates the need for relatively few boundary adjustments.

Myth

Fact

The City of Warrenville has adopted three ordinances to address issues on the proposed school site.

• Ord. 2300 has nothing to do with the proposed school site. It relates only to the Cantera Development.

• Ord. 2301 was adopted to support an agreement with BP to provide land for stormwater detention and an emergency access easement for the middle school project.

• Ord. 2303 has nothing to do with the proposed school site. It supports an agreement with BP that gives the City the right to offer to purchase BP owned land at the northwest corner of Herrick and Warrenville Roads. The City wanted this agreement to ensure that any future development of the property would be of high quality.

The BP Naperville Campus

The BP Naperville Campus is primarily a petrochemical research facility.

• The BP complex is primarily office based. Only 33 percent of the 1600 people who work on the site are involved in research. Of those involved in research, only a third work directly with chemicals.

• Future research will become more technology oriented, with increased emphasis on computer modeling and simulation.

• DePaul University is housed in the building closest to the proposed school site as an adjunct campus.

Barrels of chemicals are stored for indefinite periods of time on the BP Campus.

• Hazardous waste may only be stored in a manner and within time frames allowed by law.

• Regular inspections report no storage violations.

BP has leaking underground storage tanks (LUST’S) that contaminate the soil and water supply.

• Records indicate BP has a history of responding to and dealing with leaking UST’S in a timely manner that satisfies IEPA regulatory requirements.

• IEPA records indicate current issues are being properly and actively managed.

• Underground water migrates south of the BP Campus; therefore, a water migration pattern to the proposed school site does not exist.

Myth

Fact

There were more than six million pounds of hazardous chemical emissions from the BP Campus over a ten-year period.

• Virtually all of the emissions from the BP Naperville Campus are the result of burning natural gas—the same natural gas that is burned in water heaters and stoves in resident’s homes.

• Hazardous chemical emissions from the Naperville Campus are similar to those that come from gasoline vapors. In 2005, these totaled about 2,300 pounds.

• Hazardous chemicals found in the waste generated by research activities are driven off campus by licensed waste haulers and disposed of at EPA-permitted facilities designed to handle such waste.

BP stores more chemicals than the EPA allows.

• Having or using quantities of chemicals above the reporting threshold is not a violation if reports are filed with the EPA.

• BP complies with those reporting requirements.

BP has significant environmental impacts as indicated by ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

• ISO 14001 EMS is an internationally recognized process that companies use to develop a management approach to any environmental concerns that exist.

• Under this system, BP has identified the impact that could occur and established programs and processes to address them.

Emissions from volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) pose a hazard to neighbors of BP.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the VOC’s disperse in the air and those from BP are indistinguishable from those emitted from traffic near the facility, including I88.

• It is common for electricity cogeneration plants, such as the BP combustion turbine and boilers, to have an occasional malfunction that results in a reported excess emission event.

• A Boelter Associates report confirmed that air emissions from BP are not a significant risk to the proposed school site.

• There is little difference between the magnitude of toxic chemical emissions at the 178-acrea BP Campus and an average gas station.

Myth

Fact

BP doesn’t want property it owns (or did own) developed because it is known to be contaminated.

• BP has no indication whatsoever that either of the ‘buffer’ properties north of Warrenville Road have environmental contaminants.

• A Phase I study of the property sold to the Forest Preserve indicates no contaminants.

• BP has repeatedly stated their reason for maintaining the ‘buffer’ properties as open space is to keep traffic from increasing.

• BP has never used the property in the ‘buffer’ areas for any purpose.

The deed restrictions BP imposed on property it sold to the Forest Preserve evidence environmental concerns for nearby properties.

• A Phase I environmental study of the site, which included an assessment of the BP Campus, found no environmental issues.

• The property has never been used by BP; it was most recently used for farming.

• The sale of the property is a win-win for both BP and the Forest Preserve. It completes the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve site, remains a buffer for noise pollution, and insures no future development on site.

Related Topics

The school district determines how the Hubble site will be developed when the new school is built.

• The City of Wheaton will determine how the property is developed once the school district sells the land. The new owner and the City will work together to plan for the redevelopment of the site.

Cook County requires an NFR letter from the IEPA before a new school can be constructed, while DuPage County does not.

• The EPA requires an NFR letter on Cook County property intended for school use only when a Phase I and a Phase II study confirm the presence of a contaminant of concern.

• This requirement does not impact the proposed school site, which is in DuPage County. However, if the Herrick Road property were in Cook County, the results of the two Phase I environmental surveys would have satisfied Cook County requirements.

• However, the Phase I and Phase II studies on the proposed school site did not find contaminants of concern.

The renovation of the historic Lindblom High School in Chicago was done at a significantly lower square foot cost than the estimates for renovating Hubble.

• Contacts at the Chicago Public Schools indicate that the Lindblom project is two years late and 20 percent over budget.