Opinion: Tear Down the Brainerd Building

Seriously, Brainerd has got to go.

Before Vernon Hills High School was built, all freshmen in the district had classes at Brainerd unless they were enrolled in upper level classes at the Butler Lake Campus. However, once VHHS was built in 1999, there wasn't a need to use Brainerd anymore. The building has sat dormant since.

A local group, called Brainerd Community Center, has sub-leased the old building from the Village of Libertyville, which is currently leasing the building from District 128 with the intent to rehabilitate it into a community center. The proposed community center would focus on educational enrichment, but would also provide music programs and a teen center.

However, the group has fallen way short in its quest to raise money. The group estimates that Brainerd will need $3 million to make the building operational and $10 million to $15 million to fully restore the building. The group has only raised around $45,000 toward their goal and much of the money raised has been put toward general building maintenance. The Village and District 128 have not given any money to the group.

The fact that the amount of money raised for Brainerd is nowhere near what's needed to restore the building is a sign that the public doesn't want Brainerd to be restored.

Resolve Parking Issues

I propose something that will benefit more members of the community than a community center: Knock down the building and turn it into a nicely-paved parking lot.

I've lived in Libertyville for almost my whole life, and it seems like parking for downtown and for the high school has always been an issue. With the village completing its new downtown parking garage last year, part of the parking problem has been alleviated. However, parking for school events like football games is still an issue. In years past, due to lack of parking at school, the school has run shuttle buses from the parking lot at the train station, which was used for overflow parking.

Parking is also an issue for a good chunk of Libertyville High School students who don't have parking permits.     

Underclassmen can also park at the current parking lot at Brainerd, however, the practice is not encouraged by the school because Brainerd is traditionally reserved for seniors who do not have a parking permit at the Butler Lake Campus.

Students who don't want to take the risk of parking at Brainerd can park in the sketchy, secluded lot at Dymond or park across the lake from school and walk three quarters of a mile around the lake to school.

What I propose is knocking down the Brainerd building, keeping the current football field, and creating a parking lot, using the existing lot as well as the space from the old building and its front lawn. Sure, it wouldn't look pretty, but it could get the job done.

The school or village could also then potentially sell parking permits to students, as well as to commuters who use the nearby train station.

Generate Revenue

By selling out the parking spaces, the school could potentially turn the black hole of money that Brainerd has become and turn it into a gold mine of revenue.

I understand the history behind Brainerd. It's the first high school in the county. But what's it good for if way past its usefulness? What's the point of keeping it around if the demand to keep it around is miniscule?

It doesn't make sense to keep the building around much longer. The need for a community center clearly isn't there based on the money that hasn't been raised. But what there is a need for is money. Knocking down Brainerd would not only save the school maintainance fees for the building, but it would also create money.

This editorial was written by Matt Kalish, the Senior Editor for Drops of Ink, Libertyville High School's student-produced news publication. This article was first published on Drops of Ink in October. The opinions expressed in Mr. Kalish's editorial are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Patch.