Board makes land offer
Also plans more talk on Marshall property Feb. 18
Comments (...)DIXON – A proposal to take ownership of the eastern corner of Page Park where it meets Dixon High School is a “starting point,” school district board members said Wednesday evening.
The board unanimously approved a resolution offering to take ownership of the small triangle of land owned by the Dixon Park District.
The land is bordered by Armory Drive to the west and Page Drive along the Rock River. Dixon High School students and visitors park along the two drives.
The land was donated by the Page family, and that’s one of the reasons the Dixon Park Board has been hesitant about giving the land away.
“At this time, there is no final decision,” Park District Executive Director Deb Carey wrote in an email, “but the consensus was that the park was given by the Page family as a green, linear park space along the Rock River, and to convert it to a paved parking lot would not be within the wishes of the original gift.”
The resolution gets an offer out to begin discussions, a few board members said.
Board member Tom LeMoine said he thinks both bodies can reach a satisfactory agreement. He pointed to the park district’s hope of connecting the bike path to the high school’s walkway, and of preserving the green space.
Page Park is on the agenda for the park board’s next meeting, at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at district office, 804 Palmyra St.
The school and park districts have a joint meeting March 6 to discuss parking at the location and perhaps agree to some stipulations in a potential agreement.
The school board also set another meeting for 8 a.m. Feb. 18 to discussion the Marshall gift.
The Marshall family, which has offered a two-part gift of the former Marshall Salon Services warehouses and the adjoining 83 acres, has asked that the board make a decision on whether it will accept the gift by the end of the month.
“The board has to determine the direction that we need to be going,” board member Jim Schielein said. “I think the board’s come together and understands that there’s a need, and the gift has done that.
“The question the board has to determine is, is that where we want that type of facility to be? At least in my mind, it all comes down to location.”
Board member Pam Tourtillott had echoed that concern at the board’s last meeting, pointing to the property’s location on the far west end of town, where children can’t easily walk to it.
The board has discussed the possibility of having a recreation and athletic complex at the site.
Board Vice President Tom LeMoine also posed the question of what would happen if the board decided to accept the gift but voters didn’t approve a referendum that would give the district the money to renovate it.
“On the other hand, it’s an excellent opportunity to do something significant for the district,” he said. “It could be well worth the money it’s going to cost.”
To attend
The Dixon School Board has its next regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 21 at the district’s administrative building, 1335 Franklin Grove Road.
Go to dixonschools.org or call 815-284-7722 for an agenda or more information.
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