District 205 is exploring a major construction project on the Galesburg Jr./Sr. High School campus that could result in a new district warehouse/maintenance facility along with artificial turf on Jim Sundberg Field.
Among the proposals are:
- A new 25,000 square foot pre-engineered building with dock and covered parking for the district warehouse. The former Rose Hoben Welch School on West Dayton Street would be demolished to make room for the facility. Budget parameter: $4,800,000.
- Artificial turf baseball field with new sub-drain system at Jim Sundberg Field. Budget parameter: $1,400,000.
- Replace existing softball infield. Budget parameter: $101,800.
The District 205 Board of Education on Monday will consider approval for Legat Architects to provide architectural services for the above proposed projects.
District prefers on-campus warehouse
John Asplund, District 205 superintendent of schools, tells WGIL the current district warehouse at Hawthorne Center has outlived its useful life.
“We either have to invest millions into our current building or just build or find another building,” Asplund said. “We’re to the point where we have to spend money on that building.
“We’re doing our due diligence to determine what the best step is going forward.”
Asplund said the district would prefer to locate a warehouse on its own campus, given the fact it has explored options for a new or different warehouse location for the past year.
“We just couldn’t really find what we needed elsewhere in town,” he said. “And the only place to do it on the current campus is around the Rose Hoben area.”
Asplund said it would be cost-prohibitive to try and save Rose Hoben and Gale schools for potential classroom use, or convert them into a storage facility.
District 205 owns its current warehouse facility at Hawthorne Center.
The warehouse is used for:
- Dry goods like pens, pencils, paper, etc, are all stored at the district warehouse before being distributed to various district schools and offices.
- Vehicle and salt storage, a wood shop, tools, and plumbing maintenance area
- A walk-in cooler for long-term food storage for the district.
“The cooler we have now is going to die,” he said. “It’s on its last leg and we need to get another one.”
Nearby Gale School also would be demolished, according to Asplund, because it would be cost prohibitive to repair it, thus the former elementary no longer serves a useful purpose.
Asplund said the demo of Rose Hoben and Gale, along with the warehouse project are subject to bid costs.
“We have cost estimates and we believe we can afford them with our 1 cent facility sales tax money,” he said. “We know the cost of construction keeps going up, and the sooner we can get it done, the cheaper it will be.”
Sundberg Field could get artificial turf
Asplund said the sub-structure and drainage system under Sundberg Field has deteriorated to the point that the baseball playing field needs to be replaced.
Installing artificial turf is being considered for Sundberg Field, according to Asplund, because the primary cost of a project would be repairing and prepping the sub-structure.
“Studies still need to be done, but it’s looking like we already need to do that anyway, and it might make more sense to turf it so we can get more use out of it,” he said.
Softball field having issues, too
Asplund also said drainage issues are occurring on the infield of the softball field at Streaks sports complex. He noted further studies are needed for the softball field, but he said the resolution could be repairing and replacing the infield.
“We’re not 100% sure about the softball field, but it’s something we have to look at, because we feel it’s not draining properly,” he said. “It’s not quite the same wash-away issues we’re having at the baseball field.”
Asplund said the district receives funds monthly from a 1 cent facility sales tax that was approved by Galesburg voters in 2011. That revenue, which amounts to approximately $3 million annually, can only be utilized on facilities.
“We’re looking at ways to spend that money effectively, so we’re being cost effective to the tax payers,” he said. “We wouldn’t have to raise anybody’s taxes, it’s something that is already coming in.”
As previously reported, District 205 also is considering the addition of a stand-alone wrestling facility that would include a weight room and restroom facilities. The new 6,500 square foot, pre-engineered metal building for high school and junior high wrestling teams would be a practice-only facility attached to Wicall Gym east of Thiel Gymnasium.
If approved, Asplund said the soonest any construction would start would be this summer.