The Hampshire village board unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement between the village and Community Unit School District 300 for access to and occupancy of certain facilities in the event of an emergency.
The four District 300 schools that can be used as emergency shelters are: Hampshire High School, 1600 Big Timber Road; Hampshire Middle School, 560 North State Street; Hampshire Elementary School, 321 Terwilliger Avenue, and Gary D. Wright Elementary School, 1500 North Ketchum Road.
District 300 allowed Hampshire Elementary School to be used as shelter during two occasions when weather required the evacuation of the Hampshire Coon Creek Country Days festival grounds at Bruce Ream Memorial Park along Terwilliger Avenue, village officials said.
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Access to the facilities shall be allowed solely at the direction of the village president or Hampshire police chief or, in their absence, a person designated to act in accordance with the village emergency operations plan. Access shall be obtained via the “Knox-Box Rapid Entry System” at each of the schools.
The agreement allows the village to move forward with its plans to update and revise its emergency evacuation plan.
“This official agreement is the same one we have had in the past,” said Hampshire Trustee Mike Reid. “However, it’s been a handshake agreement. Insurance companies are asking for official agreements because of the Wood Dale incident.”
A tent collapse during a Wood Dale summer festival in August 2015 killing one person and injuring an estimated 20 others.
“I compliment Trustee Reid for getting this agreement in writing,” said Trustee George Brust.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.