Build it on Beaver is a catchy phrase, but not a reality. It is easy to create a nice sketch of a new school on the current site, but the truth of the matter is that this site has been studied extensively and is woefully inadequate to support a new school. 

Major Floodplain and Soil Issues

More than 70% of the existing site sits in a flood plain. This leaves 3 buildable acres to work with. The ground conditions of those 3 acres are also challenging. Much of the site is fill and sand soils on top of an Upper Freeport coal seam. These conditions mandate unusually deep and costly foundations. In addition, the site has groundwater mitigation problems, evident by the water penetration and flooding issues in the current school. 

Building on the lower portion of the site would require disrupting the floodplain and local waterways and years of permitting from FEMA, state and local officials – which the district would not be guaranteed to get. Even if permits were granted, the district would sink millions upon millions of dollars into building the land up 8 feet, losing much of the construction budget to moving dirt. In addition, to mitigate the loss of 9.6 acres of floodplain, the district would be required to acquire additional land elsewhere within this floodplain to offset the land it developed. (Here’s a video explaining the issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9X0Afyx3PY) ​