Dear Board Members of District 428;
It has been brought to my attention that District 428 needs more classroom space. I bought 315 N 6th St, DeKalb, the old Camelot school/Farm Bureau Building. It is a perfect building to fit District #428 space needs for the lowest long term cost. It is a 33,000 square foot building, with 30 classrooms, and a gigantic 48’ x 84’ auditorium on the first floor. It has extra space with a 72’ x 38-foot auditorium in the basement which was formerly used as a gymnasium. The building is surrounded by easy access roads from anywhere in DeKalb. It has, additionally, two large parking lots on the North and South side plus space for additional playground equipment. 315 N 6th Street is 1.7 miles from University Village and the Roberts Nursing School located at 1240 Normal Road is 0.7 of a mile from University Village. Busing to either school is always an option depending on the weather. A student walking to school is always good exercise for the student’s health.
When I bought this building with its large office space, wide hallways, and convenient access, I considered that District 428 may have future space needs for students. If District 428 does not take my offer I can rent the space commercially. It would cost over $8.9 Million to construct. I am sending in one last offer for review. My offer includes donating the use of 315 N 6th Street. No rent will be required. We will offer a Triple Net Lease where District 428 will pay for all upgrades, utilities, and maintenance with Jim Mason’s approval. I will offer first right of refusal if the School Board wants to counter any offer for the Building and Parking Lots. All real estate taxes will be waived and length of use will be agreed upon by both parties. The agreement could be 5-10 years totally improved at District 428 cost. It would be the most cost-effective solution for DeKalb’s space needs. My family would love to support the educational needs of DeKalb. I drafted this letter to explain what a good deal this is for all DeKalb’s taxpayers. Using the building rent free will save the District millions over the years. DeKalb has changed a lot over the last 15 years. A town once filled with college students and student housing has now changed to more families and young adults looking to start a future in DeKalb. District 428 can use additional space needed instead of being stuck with another owned building if DeKalb demographics change again in the next 15 years.
This Building is 33% larger that the Roberts Building and more parking is available. It would be a better deal for District 428. This building will give District 428 the additional class space for up to 800 more students and the ability to lower class sizes to 25 students per classroom with no other construction costs. If District 428 goes for the Roberts Building, it will take 2 to 3 years for engineering and construction. Don’t forget, there is no need to build more schools in DeKalb because Northern Illinois University has thousands of square feet of empty classrooms now.
Please review my offer and contact me directly should you have any questions. For further clarification about my offer I will be at the Tuesday meeting on March 7th at 6PM to answer any questions the board might have. This offer is timely and ready to go. No need to spend a dime on any new building at all. For my timely gift I would like for District 428 to pay down the school debt. The 30 million from the District 428 war chest that was going to be spent on the Roberts Building renovation can be used to reduce the tax burden on businesses and home owners in the community. As of show time Thursday, I just found out NIU us now asking $1.86 Million for the Roberts Building on Normal Rd. Not $1.00 as previously quoted. NIU can’t give away it’s property without assessed value compensation.
Question: Where and why do school districts get all this free money printed by the US Treasury? The money is printed to entice money to small towns all over the US to move people out of the big cities and change the makeup of red America in the future. The reason for my offer has many reasons but maybe the most important is to take most of the free cash to pay off as much of District 428’s school debt as possible while we have the free money from the government. Let’s not lose this opportunity to massively reduce the debt to enhance 428’s future credibility. Cash is king. Don’t burn it on things we don’t need like new buildings. Let’s take my offer.
If you decide not to take my offer, ask NIU to use some of their empty classrooms. Let’s reduce District 428 debt and the taxpayers.
I thank you in advance for your time and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
James Mason
Mason Properties
(815)901-4309
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