Livingston Co School to Build New Classrooms Thanks to Wind Farm

Many are familiar with the difficulties now facing Illinois school districts. Late state payments, pension reform talks, plummeting tax base...there are definitely some tough times ahead.

But one Illinois school is expanding, building new classrooms and other facilities at a time when other schools are cutting programs. Why? Thank the Cayuga Ridge wind farm, which is pumping millions in new property tax revenue into the rural district of Odell. 

According to a story in the Pontiac Daily Leader:

Odell Grade School is constructing a new addition, which will begin within a month and should be completed in time for the new school year in August.

School Superintendent Mark Hettmansberger said at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday afternoon that the $1.2 million, 5,500-square foot addition would include a new special needs classroom and new band room. A second project of $400,000 will see energy upgrades throughout the school.

“We are going to add on one classroom, a band room, two offices, a concession stand and an entry into the gymnasium,” the superintendent said about the building addition. The project will also encompass new bathroom facilities.[...]

Hettmansberger said the school didn’t have to do any special fundraising for these projects, since money was available from other sources.

“Most of the money we’re using for this will be from the wind farms. We’ll also be using money from our cash reserves. Our board has done an excellent job of being responsible with the money and building up reserves in the past. We will be issuing some debt certificates. It will actually be a very small amount of debt we’ll be taking on with this project,” he said.

School board member Mark Johnson added, “This project has no impact on the taxes on the residents of the village. It (the tax rate) will actually go down.”

Hettmansberger said the debt would be paid off within four years with more money generated from the wind farms.

“We’re just really excited about it and we’re ready for the building to get started,” he said.