This is regarding “Barat may welcome a different senior class; Hyatt aims to convert Lake Forest campus to retirement homes” (Metro, Feb. 18). As an active Barat alumna, I have mixed feelings about the proposed use of Barat’s campus. Other Catholic institutions have had success in transforming obsolete buildings and campuses into senior housing. Such adaptive reuse may be appropriate–even admirable–but it should be accessible to a wide population.
While this latest projected use would most probably maintain the beauty and integrity of the property and the stately Old Main Building, it would hardly contribute to an educational venture and a diverse audience.
The probable entry fee of $700,000 and monthly fee of almost $4,000 would put this enterprise in the hands of the very few.
Affordable housing for local teachers, public service employees (police, firefighters, paramedics, city workers) and the elderly would be far more suitable–and it is sorely needed in Lake Forest.
No one has more compassion for the elderly than I do. I wish all of the aged in this country could live in such a plush environment. But the fact remains that many, if not most, live in substandard surroundings. How wonderful it would be to provide a more financially accessible solution for a larger populace.
It’s not going to happen, I’m afraid. Like professional sports, it’s all about the money.
