After years of planning, the Lyons Township High School has, this month, unveiled its path forward for an upgrade plan set to add amenities to both campuses as well as repair aging infrastructure.
Dubbed the Groundwork for a Brighter Future, the plan began in 2019 when the district started assessing its needs. Now, five years — and one pandemic — later, the district has in mind a scope and a budget the project. The scope is years and the budget is north of $100 million, but at its conclusion, district leaders believe the community, students and staff will find themselves with two campuses suited to tackle the changing educational needs and ready to adopt to the latest trends and technologies.
Repairs and upgrades aren’t new — they’re hardly even news, happening annually. However, those repairs are usually piecemeal responses to problems as they arise. This plan is very different.
District Superintendent Brian Waterman said he’s unaware the last time the district tried a comprehensive, districtwide refurbishment and he said he anticipates it’ll take another five years to complete just the first part of it.
According to the groundwork document — available at the district’s website — the project will roll out over two phases and cost somewhere around $140 million. However, the cost will be spread across both phases, with the first costing around $44 million, with a bit over $27 million coming from bond sales, some $6-$10 million from the district’s fund balance and some from the usual annual budget for repairs, about $3 million a year. The first round of bonds were sold late last year and the second round should be sold this month.
As with most large-scale construction, much of the work will occur during summer months, following a needs plan set last year. This summer, most work will focus on the South Campus, with the majority of phase one work on North Campus beginning in the summer of 2025.
The plan began with an assessment led by the district with DLA Architects that started early in the process and through the pandemic. Later, the community got to weigh in.
“Between September 2022 and June 2023, the district conducted a community engagement process that included surveys, focus groups, and discussions regarding the current state of our facilities, then used that input to outline board objectives that need to be accomplished,” Waterman said.
He explained the result focused the plan on classroom modernization and creating collaborative spaces for staff and students, safety upgrades, restroom accessibility upgrades athletic upgrades and HVAC and new AC installation — long a community request.
All of these are expected to be included in phase one, a three-year project.
Of the district’s needs, one problem LTHS does not anticipate is much student population change one way or another. This means the district won’t need to worry much about new buildings or expanding its footprint in the schools’ neighborhoods.
“Based upon an enrollment study that was completed in August, 2022, the district does not anticipate significant changes to its enrollment for the next several years,” Waterman said. “As a result, Groundwork for a Brighter Future is more focused on modernizing our two campuses and enhancing our existing spaces.”
The enhancements should translate into better academic success and college preparedness, he added.
“Groundwork for a Brighter Future reflects our district’s commitment to ensuring that our facilities support high-quality in-class learning and extracurricular activities that foster the academic, physical, social, and emotional growth and well-being of our students,” Waterman explained.
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In short, the project should keep LTHS up to par with the latest trends in education and technology and extend the life span of the existing buildings all while benefiting the community as a whole. Waterman praised the collaborative effort so far though he added that collaboration is not yet over.
“The LT school community has been instrumental in this effort so far, and we will continue to need their input on future phases,” he said. “Our school community has a strong desire to modernize our two campuses and ensure that facilities reflect the amazing community we are a part of.”
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.