The Riverside village administration has presented a plan for what it is calling a new public safety remodel. A look at this plan shows that it is actually a plan for a new town hall. While it does have new facilities for the police and fire departments, it includes new offices for the village manager, village staff, meeting rooms, a community room and a kitchen, all of which duplicate existing facilities in our historic town hall. There is also an office for the part-time volunteer board president and amenities like a wraparound balcony and rooftop terrace.
In statements about this plan, village administration stresses the need for new facilities for the police and fire and seems to downplay anything about the other facilities they have included in their plan. These “extras” drive the cost up to an excessive $30 million. Wouldn’t it have been more cost effective to remodel the current facilities which I have heard would cost $4 million to $8 million.
At a meeting on May 19, the architects presented data that tried to show the $30 million is comparable to public safety facilities in other communities, including Geneva, Wilmette, Libertyville, and Schaumburg. The populations are 2 to 9 times larger than Riverside’s in these communities so it is a stretch to call them comparable.
The cost per Riverside resident is also excessive at $3,400/resident compared to $600 to $2,000 in these other four communities. This is also true with the square footage/resident at 5.2 sq ft/resident, or 2 to 3 times more than the other four. I conclude from this that the other public safety buildings don’t include administrative offices, rooftop terraces, etc.
I don’t dispute that we need to upgrade the police and fire department facilities, but their legitimate needs have been coopted by the village administration to include their new facilities. What is disturbing is the administration’s claim that this is strictly a public safety building. I was informed by the board president that “providing adequate public safety facilities is the sole reason we are pursuing this project,” when I wrote him about this. If that is true, why is he getting a dedicated office? And do the police and fire department need a balcony and rooftop terrace to function more effectively?
This proposed plan does not really enhance public safety for residents living north of the BNSF tracks, since the plan includes closing Riverside Fire Station # 2 north of the tracks since 70% of the homes, all the schools and all but one church in Riverside are north of the BNSF tracks. A BNSF freight train rumbling through Riverside will delay emergency services’ response for north side residents or necessitate their reliance on North Riverside, Brookfield, Berwyn, etc., potentially less timely services. However, they would still have to pay increased taxes should the referendum pass. Clearly, the main public safety facility needs to be north of the BNSF tracks with a substation south of the tracks which makes remodeling the current facilities a more practical and cost-effective approach.
In the meantime, Riverside taxpayers are waiting for accurate information on exactly how much a $30 million town hall would increase their taxes. The village manager has seemed reluctant to provide this important information.
Jacquelyn Paine , Riverside