Imagine OPRF took the next step Tuesday in crafting a long-term facilities plan for Oak Park and River Forest High School by going before the District 200 school board.
The June 26 meeting, which lasted three hours, was intended to get board member feedback and answer questions on the group’s two concepts, drafted by architecture firm Perkins + Will.
Board members considered the concepts, asked questions and praised favorite aspects, while noting the importance of weighing needs versus wants and learning more about potential costs.
Imagine OPRF was formed after the 2016 proposal to borrow $25 million for pool replacement and other facilities upgrades was narrowly rejected in a referendum question. The group is made up of more than 40 community and staff members who have been working since August 2017 to identify facility needs for the high school.
Main ideas among both the orange and blue concepts include the creation of a student commons in the center of the building for students to gather and access key services; a redesign and move of the library/tutoring center to the center of the building; a redesign and upgrades to the cafeteria and food service area; and adding and reorganizing classrooms.
Also included: improving and relocating some special education facilities; improvements to band and performing arts areas; relocation of family and consumer sciences facilities; and putting administrative offices near the entrance.
What drew the most conversation and was the same among both concepts: demolition and replacement of current athletic and physical education facilities. During time for comment, a few community members voiced their concern regarding the plans, and reminded the board to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
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“These are not yet proposals, they are still concepts,” said Imagine OPRF co-chairwoman Lynn Kamenitsa.
When they return in August with a draft of a singular concept, “it will be a combination of the best elements of orange and blue,” she told the board. “We are not asking which one of these you like better.”
Imagine’s ultimate goal: crafting a complete long-term facilities plan, she said.
“We’re not talking about doing all of this at once; we’re not talking about doing all of this in one project,” she said.
When the last major update to the school was done 51 years ago, it essentially cut the building into thirds, with the academic region to the north, the performing arts area and cafeteria in the center, and the athletic area to the south.
“What we’re proposing is to reinforce that,” said Mike Poirier, Imagine co-chairman. Consolidating student-centric services — and those that involve the public, too — improves efficiency, he said.
Poirier said they didn’t take lightly the idea of tearing down the athletics area and rebuilding. If they did it piecemeal, they’d have several areas where they’d need to address compliance issues with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Board members inquired about phases of a potential demolition of that space versus remodeling, and costs associated with razing the space all at once compared to staggering it.
To reuse the existing footprint of the athletics space, “because of the nature of it, it is a challenge,” said Michael Dolter, project architect with Perkins + Will.
Regina Robinson, Imagine member and OPRF alumna, remarked on the stress she felt as the group toured the school in recent months and tried to get from place to place within the building.
“I just don’t think the facility the way it is meets the needs of the students here,” she said.
As board members talked about where they might begin to prioritize projects, Imagine member Ellen Pimentel said the school can’t really afford to get by with less, specifically noting contention over fieldhouse space.
“We’re not talking about luxury. We’re talking about creating enough room for the current programs,” Kamenitsa said.
“I have to be absolutely sure that what we build is what we need,” said board member Craig Iseli. “Not a dime more. … We don’t have the unlimited resources to do everything we want.”
Board members appreciated the idea for the commons area for students, as well as other aspects like more efficient groupings of classrooms and relocation of special education facilities.
Board President Jackie Moore said she believes improved athletic facilities are critical, since physical education needs are curricular just as arts and core classes are. She acknowledged the architectural significance of the existing fieldhouse, and noted she lives in a house built in the 1800s.
“But old doesn’t always mean historical, from the standpoint of value, and I think we have to look at that as well,” Moore said.
“To me, it makes sense to address that end more quickly than the rest of the building,” board member Matt Baron said of the south end, considering the pool needs.
Potential cost was the elephant in the room, Baron mentioned, adding that he looks forward to seeing some monetary figures related to the plans.
Poirier said they’d like to take the board’s feedback and the best elements from the two concepts and come back with one plan in August.
Dolter said the August meeting will be about confirming priorities. As board members asked further questions about choosing projects and the costs associated with them, Mark Jolicoeur, principal at Perkins + Will, said they could come up with a menu of sorts with different components of the plan and related costs.
Terry Fielden, director of K-12 Education for general contractor ICI, pointed out that construction costs will vary and numbers will be subject to other conditions. Moore mentioned the need to be sensible about sharing cost information when numbers are so fluid.
“We have to be effective in communicating that with the broader community,” Moore said.
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