Council might include charter high school in funding request
Village looking for $25M in stimulus funding
Published in The Islander News March 19, 2009
kjosephsen@islanderews.com
The Village Council may request nearly $25 million in funding under the Obama Administration's Federal Stimulus Package to pay for beach renourishment, Community Center expansion, water and sewer installation, a charter high school and more.
Council members questioned if the school should be part of the request during a Tuesday, March 10. meeting, and indicated they'll also continue tweaking the package as a whole.
However, Village Manager Chip Iglesias stressed decisions must be made quickly, as deadlines are fast approaching: "We need to do it as soon as possible," he said on the 10th. "It's very rapid, to get projects going to get jobs out on the street.
"I would tell you we need to do something in the next couple of weeks."
As it stands right now, the hulk of the Village's request includes $2.3 million for what Council members say is an essential beach rehab, $2.1 million for an already-designed addition to the Community Center's second floor, $5 million for the Village's share of the ongoing sewer/water project and $8.5 million to build a municipal charter high school on the Key.
The $24.8 million request could also include an undetermined amount of funding for green initiatives — the specifics of which Iglesias said a citizen's committee is currently exploring — as well as storm water improvements, which have been identified as a need for some time.
Meanwhile, several more projects may be added to the list.
A Calusa Park redesign, community-wide landscaping upgrades and acquisition of the land for the employee parking lot will all be included in the request if they are deemed eligible; officials could also seek funds to develop 530 Crandon Boulevard if the Council decides on a use in time.
When Iglesias presented the request to the Council for its approval on the 10th, he explained he based the list on the ongoing process to develop a five-year Capital Improvements Plan for the community. He said the projects he pinpointed are those which can most likely meet eligibility requirements and timelines mandated by the stimulus package.
Council members and residents provided some feedback on those suggestions, mostly regarding the school project.
School activist Charles Viscito said he is "encouraged" to see the project on the Manager's list, calling the news a "sliver of hope" to those pushing for the facility.
Viscito urged the Council to think outside the box in terms of obtaining stimulus finding for the school even if the building itself isn't eligible, as Village lobbyists have suggested, Viscito said money could go to related initiatives like broadband technology, green construction or a library.
Council member Michael Kelly, however, doesn't think enough decisions regarding the school have been made for local leaders to start pursuing funding. "I would like to see the charter high school removed from this list," he said. "I think it's the wrong sequence of events. We're putting the cart before the horse. It's too early in the process for us to be seeking funding."
Kelly said the community and Council first need to decide if they even want to move forward with a high school. Then, if the answer is yes, the Council could pursue funding avenues.
Seeking funding now would undermine the decision-making process, Kelly argued.
"What's the harm in asking?" Kelly asked rhetorically. "The harm is that we ask for the money, and now it's much harder to decide not to have a high school if you're not going to have it. There is a consequence to pursuing this money before deciding we want to go down the road of a charter high school."
Kelly also noted initiatives in the preliminary stages -- where he places the school —are not what the Obama administration is after in terms of releasing funding. "Isn't the phrase 'shovel-ready?'" he asked.
Vice Mayor Michael Davey, on the other hand, took the opposite stance, arguing elected leaders should keep considering a school funding request.
Although he agreed the Village should first seek funding for the sewer and water work and beach renourishment, "You certainly can't just pull (the school) off the list.
Davey said he will put an item on the agenda for the Council's meeting Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber to discuss the high school project and help local leaders decide whether to direct Iglesias to seek stimulus funding for the project.
Indeed, the funding request as a whole remains a work in progress.
Kelly and Council member Jorge Mendia stressed the Village shouldn't dilute its request by "throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks," as Kelly put it; and the Council reached a general consensus that sewer and water work, storm water improvements and beach renourishment have the greatest chance of success.
"We need to identify what's most realistic and push as hard as we can," Mendia said.
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