Liberty School Controversy
December 14, 2008 Filed in: Norman's
Corner
Background: In 2003, the City of Englewood
purchased the Liberty School from the Board of
Education. Now facing a downturned economy,
city officials are
looking to sell the property to offload debt and
bring in money. BergenPAC has proposed that the
property be used for an arts academy. Others have
proposed that it be used for residential
development. Our three editors take a look at the
issue from their own perspectives.
Bergen PAC may very well be right in maintaining that a performing arts academy is the appropriate long-term use for the Liberty School, but it is wrong in trying to short-circuit the process by which the decision about the School’s future will be made.
By way of background, the City of Englewood acquired ownership of the Liberty and Lincoln School properties as part of the 2004 school construction plan which was approved by the voters in the referendum that year. The reasoning was that 1) the two 100-year-old buildings would no longer be needed by the Board of Education once the new construction was completed (2010 at the latest), and 2) the City would be able to recoup the $11,000,000 paid for the properties through the sale of one or both, and in addition gain tax ratables. The City sold $11,000,000 in bonds to cover its obligation. Subsequently, there has been considerable public discussion of possible use of the properties, including public and not-for-profit uses, as well as sale to private developers, but there has, until recently, been no process for arriving at a final determination.
It is the job of the five-person City Council to make this determination, and the members have a responsibility to carefully weigh the financial, social and political aspects of the various options which may present themselves. In July, new City Manager Dan Fitzpatrick took over in City Hall, and one of his major assignments was to move the decision-making process forward. That is why the Council is now planning to request proposals for the Liberty School property, and in order to increase the range of possibilities, to declare the area "in need of redevelopment." As the process moves forward, we would expect the City Manager to outline for the Council the financial and other consequences of the proposals which emerge, whether they be commercial, residential, educational, recreational, or otherwise.
It should be recognized that 1) there is no legal requirement that the City recoup all of its $11,000,000 advance, and 2) in the current real estate environment it is unlikely it can do so any time soon. Nonetheless, the Council has a responsibility to the taxpayers, and will have to make a strong case if it swallows a large part of this sum. If Bergen PAC wants to achieve its objective it should present its case to the public and to the Council as strongly as possible, but abandon its recent confrontational stance.
Bergen PAC may very well be right in maintaining that a performing arts academy is the appropriate long-term use for the Liberty School, but it is wrong in trying to short-circuit the process by which the decision about the School’s future will be made.
By way of background, the City of Englewood acquired ownership of the Liberty and Lincoln School properties as part of the 2004 school construction plan which was approved by the voters in the referendum that year. The reasoning was that 1) the two 100-year-old buildings would no longer be needed by the Board of Education once the new construction was completed (2010 at the latest), and 2) the City would be able to recoup the $11,000,000 paid for the properties through the sale of one or both, and in addition gain tax ratables. The City sold $11,000,000 in bonds to cover its obligation. Subsequently, there has been considerable public discussion of possible use of the properties, including public and not-for-profit uses, as well as sale to private developers, but there has, until recently, been no process for arriving at a final determination.
It is the job of the five-person City Council to make this determination, and the members have a responsibility to carefully weigh the financial, social and political aspects of the various options which may present themselves. In July, new City Manager Dan Fitzpatrick took over in City Hall, and one of his major assignments was to move the decision-making process forward. That is why the Council is now planning to request proposals for the Liberty School property, and in order to increase the range of possibilities, to declare the area "in need of redevelopment." As the process moves forward, we would expect the City Manager to outline for the Council the financial and other consequences of the proposals which emerge, whether they be commercial, residential, educational, recreational, or otherwise.
It should be recognized that 1) there is no legal requirement that the City recoup all of its $11,000,000 advance, and 2) in the current real estate environment it is unlikely it can do so any time soon. Nonetheless, the Council has a responsibility to the taxpayers, and will have to make a strong case if it swallows a large part of this sum. If Bergen PAC wants to achieve its objective it should present its case to the public and to the Council as strongly as possible, but abandon its recent confrontational stance.
