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Rev.. Timothy Rouse, President December 5, 2007 Page In addition, past practice of the Common Council has been to seek the consent of the owner when designating a building as historic. I recognize that this is not required by Ordinance.or State law; however it has generally led to better upkeep when the owner seeks the historic status. An exception can be made for publicly owned buildings, but the owner's acceptance is important to the success of landmarking. I note with pride that the School Corp. has successfully renovated several schools in South Bend, including Jefferson, Madison and Adams. Renovation of Monroe School is part of the work to be done with the proposed bond proceeds. I iecall that when the Historic Preservation Commission sought historic-, designation for Madison School, the School Corp. did not oppose that status. They have actively opposed such designation for Marquette. I veto Bill 61-07 for the following reasons: • It designates the entire parcel as historic rather than the building and a portion of land around it. • It does not have the support of the owner. • The public remonstrance should cast the final vote in whether or not the School Corp. can build a new school at this site. As I veto this bill, I also have several requests concerning this site of the South Bend Community School Corporation. - First, please maintain and operate a quality school at this location. Second, though'I respect the process and due diligence used in choosing.to build a new school rather than renovate the existing building, I do not believe that the general public is fully convinced that this is the best choice. Also, some believe that there is new information which should be evaluated. So, I respectfully request the School Corp. to revisit the analysis of costs to renovate Marquette and to also take advantage of Bill Latoza's offer to share his experience with the Chicago School system. There is time to do this "value engineering" of the decision before the bond is approved. It may lead to the same conclusion, but residents will be assured that you have fully investigated all possible options. Third, if.a new school is constructed at the site, please have the architecture complement the neighborhood and site the building in. such a way that demolition of the existing school is not required. Finally, if a new school is constructed, please be open to alternate uses for the existing building. If a viable use is found, with financing and a feasible business plan, please cooperate with a developer to help renovation of the building to succeed. I appreciate the long hours, good intentions and difficult decisions by both the Common Council and the School Corporation Board. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. Sincerely, to he�7auecCke�6-4 S p Mayor South Bend Common Council Historic Preservation Commission Dr. Robert Zimmerman South Bend Community School Corporation Board