Peru ends subsidy for library

The final subsidy payment from the City of Peru to the Peru Public Library is this month’s. 

The city had been paying the library a monthly subsidy but this month’s $14,000 payment will be the last.  The payments are ending with the conclusion of the fiscal year.

The subsidy ends a couple of months before the library will receive their property tax payment, which will see a hefty increase thanks to $379,000 levy increase. 

At first, alderman Tony Ferrari didn’t like the idea of ending the subsidy with April. 

Alderman Ron Wren says the budget the library submitted to the city didn’t include it.  In the end, the vote Wednesday night to end the subsidy was unanimous.

New school building suggested in La Salle

Jackson School in La Salle has been in use since 1939, but its years are numbered.  A committee that looked at building needs in the La Salle Public School District is recommending the building that’s used for Pre-K be closed because it’s functionally obsolete. 

          The Facilities Planning Committee gave a 19-page statement to the school board Tuesday night.  They think Lincoln Junior High and Northwest Elementary are out of classroom and storage space.  They’ve suggested three remedies.

          In all cases, they want Jackson closed and 6th grade moved out of Lincoln.  In one scenario, an addition is constructed at Northwest School to accommodate 6th graders.

          They believe the best scenario would be to build a new school for grades fourth through sixth. 

          Dan Marenda is the superintendent.  He says the school board will be looking at funding options.  He hopes they could find a solution by the end of the school year.  He thinks they could build a new school without raising the tax rate.

New Ottawa grade school to keep old name

A new elementary school in Ottawa will have the same old name.

          The Ottawa Elementary School Board Tuesday night decided to name the new school on the south edge of town, Central Intermediate School.  When surveyed last month, over half the community who responded said they wanted to keep Central School as the name.  The board also kept Cyclones as the school nickname.  Students were also surveyed and Cyclones was the most popular mascot choice.

          Construction on the new 5^th and 6^th grade school is supposed to start this summer.  District officials hope to have the school open in time for the Spring Semester in 2012.