Dist. 205 hears presentations on building reconstruction timeline

A presentation was given to the District 205 Board of Education at Monday night’s meeting about the timeline of work with the district’s building renovation project.

Jennifer Hamm, the District’s Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, informed the board that administrators were looking to close Gale early to save more money, a minimum of $778,000.

Hamm instead suggested not closing Gale and recommended an “aggressive” proposal where construction at King, Lombard, and Steele to go on at the same time, and GHS would follow in the following year.

“That would allow us then, in the summer of 2020 – in August of 2020 – when hopefully those buildings could be inhabited,” Hamm told board members. “K-6 to their new homes after the end of next year so we would have the three elementary’s open.”

In the 2020/21 school year, students in the elementary schools will be in the renovated schools while 5th and 6th grade students would attend Lombard. 7th and 8th grade students would be moved to Churchill. In addition to that, Gale would be utilized as an annex for the high school while construction would be underway in that year.

There were many levels to the plan, and Superintendent Dr. John Asplund said that the plan could change if the weather “goes crazy.”

The expectation is that all work would be done by the summer of 2021.

Additionally, the board heard a presentation regarding the floor plan for the renovation work to Lombard Junior High by a committee of the junior high administration, faculty, and community members.

Specifics of the renovation include 23,000 square feet for the area of renovation.

Lombard Principal Nick Young said that the committee came up with many recommendations, and one of which might need coordination with the city of Galesburg.

“One thing that came up in committee was the location of our [physical education]. We have a block to the south of campus. Our kids have to cross the city street every time to get to that block. So, I don’t know if there’s something we can do to petition to the city to look at, maybe, closing a portion of that for the safety of our children. It’s certainly something we can look at down the road.”

Dr. Asplund said that next month the board would vote on the Lombard floor plan.

ReCENT POSTS

Loading...