The Glencoe District 35 School Board is moving forward on a nearly $5 million project to add space at its administrative offices next year.
On Dec. 14, the school board unanimously approved 23 separate bids for the project totaling just over $3.8 million. Another approximate $1.1 million will be part of the budget to address costs including fees for architects, construction management, furniture, additional costs and contingencies.
The work will include an addition of roughly 3,200 square feet of space at the administrative offices inside Central School, expanding on the southeastern portion of the Greenwood Avenue building. The plans call for a new entrance, offices, conference rooms, renovated classrooms, a nurse’s office and a teachers lounge along with bathrooms and storage facilities.
“This project has been a long time in the works. It has been on our list for well over a decade,” Director of Finance and Operations Jason Edelheit said at the board meeting.
Board President Kelly Glauberman said there were two separate major issues making the expansion necessary including the extra space for the administrative team to work and collaborate.
“It’s sorely lacking at the moment,” Glauberman said. “We have administrators sitting in conference room for their offices. We fundamentally need more space.”
Glauberman said the other issue was the new entrance for visitors, who now have to walk through the Central School hallways to reach the administrative offices.
“We will be able to make a separate dedicated entrance for all district business,” she said.
The approximate $5 million will come from the nearly $30 million operating budget.
“We have a really solid financial position,” Glauberman said. “Given the scope of the project the overall price tag does not frighten me.”
While much of the work is scheduled for next summer, Edelheit said the project would start before the end of the school year, meaning some administration members will have to work out of another part of the building during that time.
“We will be joining some of our other team members and sharing some of spaces elsewhere,” District 35 Superintendent Catherine Wang said. “We will be flexible.”
The goal is to have the new space ready in time for the 2024-25 school year.
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The school board has already received a special use permit from the village, but they still need to submit paperwork for a building permit, according to Village Manager Phil Kiraly.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.