Lansing, Ill. – The Sunnybrook School District 171 has started new construction projects to make its schools more secure, more accessible and functional. Changes take place at the Heritage Middle School and Nathan Hale Elementary.
During Heritage, the work on the east side of the building is concentrated, where the bathroom and office of the nurse are urgently needed, according to David Shrader, the business officer of the district.
“The project of this summer speaks to the bathroom and the nurse's office on the east side of the building,” said Shrader. “These areas are original and have to become the code and the ADA compliant.”
Since these rooms are expanding, the main office and the district office are moved further to the east to make room.
“We are not expanding due to overcrowding. Our student population has been relatively unchanged for 10 years,” said Shrader. “The additional room is only to meet the necessary extensions of the toilets and the nurse's office.”
The work is currently taking place outside. Shrader said that apart from the repetition of an exit there was no disturbances in the school's daily routines. The interior begins after the last day of the students on June 3.
There will be no public tours during the process.
“It is not only closed to the public, but for everyone,” said Shrader. He cited security and liability as important concerns. The project is expected to be completed before the start of the new school year.
New wing in Nathan Hale
At the beginning of this spring, Nathan Hale Elementary celebrated the opening of a new wing during a dedication ceremony. Superintendent Erika Millhouse Pettis said that the updates were improved for aesthetics and security.
The families were invited to visit the new room, which includes a renovated nurse office and a redesigned entrances.
The project also led to the repeat of two memorial trees near the entrance. One was a replacement tree that had been planted in the early nineties to honor the late Lansing police officer Ken Novak.
“The original tree had to be removed due to the expansion,” said Novak's sister Kathy Fauncault. “But we are grateful that this room continues to honor him and others who have served our community.”
Other updates are underway this summer. In Nathan Hale, six temporary partition walls are replaced by constant. During heritage, new double doors improve access to delivery, and the activity space of the fitness room is separated from the mechanical area to increase electrical security.
Although this project does not necessarily focus on sustainable construction work, Shrader found that the district has already replaced LED lights in the last summers by LED lights. The new office space on Heritage will also contain LEDs.
The district finances the work through its reserves and a bond in July 2024, which also supported improvements last year.
“We are very, very careful with what we do and that is important. This is tax money,” said Shrader.
