Dist. 62 finds novel way to make money.(News)

Byline: Ames Boykin Daily Herald Staff Writer

Des Plaines Elementary District 62 has found a way to make $200,000 over the next 20 years - and it won't cost taxpayers a dime.

Wide Open West, a cable and Internet provider based in Colorado, wanted a place to house its fiber-optic equipment in Des Plaines.

So the district jumped at the chance to collect money in a way that won't compromise student safety or education, Deputy Superintendent Raymond Gunn said.

District 62 will get $30,000 up front for allowing what is called a "communications node" to be built on the South School campus, 1535 Everett Ave. The school will get $200,000 under the 20-year deal.

In exchange, the district also will be able to equip its schools with a cable network.

"It would provide the cable access, but it would (also) provide the students with a resource that would save the taxpayers and the schools money," Gunn said.

The building, which will be the size of a one-car garage, will have a brick facade, so it will blend with the school, he said.

It also will be surrounded by a fence, so children won't have access to it. Some landscaping will help shield it from the neighbors.

With school districts losing money every year as property owners appeal their taxes, the deal offers a creative way to earn money.

"Some things we just wouldn't entertain, like putting up a billboard," Gunn said. "We would never do that."

Des Plaines City Council members approved the project this week.