DANVILLE — A special Danville District 118 meeting intended for further discussion of the former Walgreens Accounting property on Bowman Avenue turned to other subjects.

Some 15 community members, including the Danville Caucus, a concerned citizens group, voiced their dismay about the closed session for the discussion of appointing a superintendent. A debate between the board and the caucus lasted more than an hour Wednesday.

Caucus members said they wanted to be part of a search committee and didn’t understand the “secrecy” of a closed session discussion.

The Illinois Open Meetings Act allows publicly elected governing bodies to hold closed discussions about personnel matters.

Board President Randal Ashton and several other board members attempted to explain their rights as a board to the audience. Ashton and others said they could publicly discuss the process of selecting a candidate.

Some audience members inquired whether the public would be given a list of potential candidates for the position.

Superintendent Nanette Mellen said it is common that finalists’ names are sometimes made public, but in other situations — particularly when a potential hire is from another district — the candidate doesn’t wish to have his or her name mentioned until he or she is hired.

Audience members also wanted to know whether District 118 officials had superintendent candidates in mind.

Mellen and others couldn’t give a clear answer because it is a personnel issue. They pointed out the job hasn’t been posted. They said candidates could be from either within the district or from outside of it.

Audience members continued to bring up the idea of a search committee, which Ashton said was never promised to the public.

Board member Judd Peck told the group he would be more in favor of hiring from within the district rather than outside if the district already has a viable candidate.

Mellen said a superintendent should be appointed by the first of the year, and that she’d received a few phone calls from people interested in applying.

Ashton promised to make community involvement a part of the closed session discussion, during which the board took no action.

Walgreens

At meetings last month, Mellen said she would like the board to decide whether to accept the Walgreens property by the end of September.

The discussion’s progress on Wednesday indicated that such a decision isn’t likely.

Board members continued to hash out details about scheduling renovations for the three old junior high school buildings East Park Elementary and North Ridge and South View middle schools. The board continued discussing details it learned at a previous study session.

If the Walgreens building was renovated, it could serve as a temporary site to house students while the old schools are being repaired.

The property on Bowman Avenue could cost almost $3.9 million to structurally secure.

The owner of the 42,300-square foot structure wants to donate it to the district by the end of the year, but the facility is damaged from abandonment and vandalism. The district must determine how much if any money to allocate for the structure’s security before it could be turned into a school.

Securing the building would be the first phase of the project.

Among the most expensive projects are roof replacement, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as a demolition that would include tearing out old wall insulation and interior walls, old plumbing, electrical and mechanical remnants — and replacing them.

Architects Anna Marie Burrell and Steve Pasko of Indianapolis-based Schmidt Associates were on hand again Wednesday to talk with board members about the potential renovation, which would take about a year to complete altogether, from the writing of the construction documents through the completion of renovation.

The architects reported late last month that a brand-new shell the same size and shape as the Bowman Avenue property would cost about $8.3 million to build, but it doesn’t include interior partitions for classrooms or other amenities for the facility.

The savings would exceed $4 million, however, the price doesn’t include property acquisition.

Ashton said the board has to decide what portion of the savings is worth it in order to go through with the renovation instead of building a new property.

The board discussed the renovation of the old buildings, but didn’t discuss cost estimates for the work.

School officials must consider several issues during a renovation that took place during the school year, Buildings and Grounds Director George Schildt pointed out.

He said trying to put a deadline on summer work is not wise.

“I’d advise caution to think (significant portions of renovation) work can be done in three or four months,” he said.

Mellen said the board’s decision about the property should be based on whether the building is a good investment, and not solely on whether it would be a good interim facility while other renovation work is done.

The property’s owner wants to donate the building by the end of the year for tax purposes, so the board will make a decision this fall.

Three more study sessions are planned with the architects. The discussions will include talks of which students could occupy the facility, how a renovation would affect other schools and more specific talks on financing and timelines.

WHAT’S NEXT

The next regular meeting of the Danville District 118 board of education will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Jackson Building, 516 N. Jackson St.