Park District Says Hubble Sale Will Lead to Program Cuts

The Wheaton Park District plans to cut programs and leagues if the community loses access to the gyms and athletic fields at the Old Hubble Middle School property, officials said Tuesday.

the site in a sealed bid process for a minimum of $10 million.

Before passing the resolution to sell Hubble, District 200 turned down the park district’s offer to purchase the property at fair market value or allow it “first right of refusal.” The park district’s plan would maintain the gyms and athletic fields, but sell a portion of the property for light development.

Park District President Ray Morrill wrote in a press release Tuesday that the park district could not afford to place a $10 million bid.

As a result of District 200’s decision to sell, the Park District “has been left with no other choice but to prepare scaling back the recreational activities that take place on the property,” Morrill wrote.

Purchasing land and constructing new gyms to replace the fields and facilities at Hubble would cost nearly $20 million, according to the release. Morrill added that other existing facilities “cannot possibly absorb the 94,000 hours of annual programming the Park District currently offers at the Old Hubble School site.”

District 200 President Andy Johnson said Tuesday that during the school district's referendum campaign for Hubble, the park district confirmed that while programs would have to move, they could find space in other District 200 locations to accommodate anything displaced by the Hubble sale. 

Morrill said that during the referendum talks, the park district assembled a list of what its needs would be, which was "filed for future reference." 

The park district provided an outline of Hubble's usage for its programs, as well as a spreadsheet that specifies what would need to be relocated if the property sold. District 200 then created four spreadsheets explaining where each program could relocate. The park district and District 200 met in February '08 to discuss relocation options, but "there would be no need to revisit the relocation options until the time came when the property was sold," according to District 200 spokeswoman Erica Foreman.

Morrill said Tuesday, "We always felt that District 200 would work with the park district to do the best they could to accommodate as many of the programs and activities (they could)," but recognize they have their own needs. "They've always accommodated us the best they could and it's not a criticism to say they can't accommodated us, but they just simply can't.

"It'd be impossible for them—through no fault of their own—to accommodate everything we're currently doing at Hubble Middle School."

The loss of indoor space would "adversly" impact boys and girls basketball, volleyball and indoor soccer leagues, according to the release. Baseball, softball and cheerleading programs would also suffer, the park district wrote. Further the regional basketball tournament would not take place, and the loss of outdoor space would harm the Wheaton Rams football program, the Wheaton Wings soccer program and T-ball leagues, according to the release.

The green space at Hubble will always be green space, Johnson said. He added that District 200 has already received 20 Request For Proposal packets from developers—all who know of the $10 million asking price and the district's desire for the buyer to work with the park district to maintain its programs.

In the Feb. 16 meeting where District 200 board members voted to sell Hubble, Superintendent Dr. Brian Harris said he had checked facility use throughout the district and found that Monroe and Edison middle schools are rarely used for extracurricular programs.

"So we have a lot of space and a lot of opportunity," he said during the Feb. 16 meeting.

For more than 30 years, the Park District has used Hubble’s playing fields and three gymnasiums for its programs’ practices, tournaments and other events. “These programs play an invaluable role in our community and help shape the character of our children by teaching the importance of team work and dedication,” Morrill wrote.

“We have a responsibility and duty to our families and neighbors to plan ahead and determine how to move forward without the use of these facilities.”

Johnson said Tuesday that while finding other locations to support the park district programming might require a little more creativity, “I’m confident we can accommodate them in other facilities as they were during the referendum campaign.”

Indoor and outdoor activities on the school’s property account for 94,000 user hours annually at the site, Morrill said. During its busy season from October to April, more than 2,000 people use the gyms each week, accounting for 62,000 total user hours of activities each year. From April to November, more than 1,000 people participate in the outdoor programs at the schools, which total 32,000 user hours each year. 

"Our relationship with the school district has been exceptional," Morrill said. However, he said, "We need to recognize that if Hubble is sold to a developer, there are no guarantees they'll allow us to continue to use the space.

"We need to be aware of that and we need to begin planning ... And we need to let our residents know that that is a distinct possibility."