Evanston aldermen on April 22 agreed to sell bonds and raise the debt limit needed to continue building the new Robert Crown Community Center and Library.
The measure prompted a discussion on the increased costs of the project, Evanston’s rising property taxes and how those with lower incomes can afford to stay in town.
“I’ve never wanted to stop the project. I look forward to the families in the 5th Ward going to enjoy Robert Crown,” said Ald. Robin Rue Simmons. However, “We’re stressed out. The tax assessments are very stressful. The low wages are very stressful. The hint of any additional financial burden is very stressful. Many families are already leaving Evanston. Every day I’m getting a call from someone who has to leave here. They can’t afford their rent, they can’t afford their water bills.”
Simmons said she understood the bond measure would be passed, but asked that aldermen make an effort to hear residents’ concerns.
She asked if the vote to sell the bonds and raise the debt limit could be postponed until after a community meeting that would explain to residents why the project costs $54 million and how it is being paid for.
However, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said the vote to sell bonds and raise the debt limit could only be made at a regular council meeting, not a special meeting, and a regular meeting will not be held again until May 13.
That’s not enough time to turn around and sell the bonds on May 16 as scheduled, Bobkiewicz said, and could jeopardize the project if money is not available to pay for ongoing construction.
City Engineer Lara Biggs said the project costs about $1 million to $1.5 million per month, a figure that is expected to grow to $5 million per month this summer.
Other aldermen agreed that a community finance meeting to discuss the project would be appropriate, but not necessarily before the vote is taken to sell the bonds.
“I would like to host another meeting independent of this conversation to address some of those questions” about financing, said Ald. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward. However, “I will be surprised if it changes anyone’s mind.”
As such, aldermen voted 7-2 to sell $18 million in General Obligation Corporate Purpose Bonds to pay for Robert Crown construction, and to raise the city’s overall debt limit to $160 million to cover the cost of the sale.
Simmons and Ald. Tom Suffredin voted against the measure.
Suffredin said he supported the project but didn’t appreciate how Simmons was treated when she voiced her concerns about the cost and suggested postponing the bond sale until after a public meeting had been held to discuss finances.
“Nobody wants to stop this project. This will be the best project in the history of Evanston. It’s a generational project, a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Suffredin said.
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However, Simmons “has the right to ask a question,” Suffredin said.
The new Robert Crown Community Center and Library is now under construction and will sit on the corner of Main Street and Dodge Avenue, where the center’s recreation fields were previously located. Once the new center is done, the current building will be torn down and artificial turf playing fields will be installed where it now sits.
The new building should be done later this year. Demolition of the existing building is expected to be done by spring 2020, with the new fields opening that July.
The new building will offer an indoor running and walking track, two full sheets of skating ice, an accredited early childcare center, a full-size gymnasium that can seat 300, a new Evanston branch library, three outdoor turf fields and eight multi-purpose rooms. It will be twice the size of the existing facility.
Evanston officials have said they expect to offer 50 percent more programming to residents once the center is complete.
However, critics have asked aldermen to slow down construction of the community center and wait to build out parts of the facility until more money can be raised or the city’s financial situation improves.