Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary School District 181 is planning a dozen capital projects over the summer, ranging in cost between $50,000 and $503,000 for a total of about $2 million.
The scheduled projects are included in a Facilities Master Plan adopted in 2018 to identify capital improvement work across the district’s nine schools, said Mike Duggan, District 181’s facilities director. To address those needs, the School Board approved an annual budget of about $2 million.
The 10-year project plans are revised annually, after the completion of the prior year’s summer projects, Duggan said.
“The timing of some projects may be moved, due to changes in circumstance that would necessitate completing the project sooner or later than originally planned,” he said.
Duggan said summer work has spanned a wide range of building needs, including roofing, flooring, lighting, playgrounds, furniture, painting and mechanical systems.
“Summer serves as the ideal window for completing these projects, as unobstructed access to school buildings allows work to proceed efficiently and without disruption to students or staff,” he said.
For this year’s work, District 181 will have some financial help via a $50,000 School Maintenance Project Grant from the Illinois State Board of Education.
“We also receive generous donations from the school PTOs to help defray some expenses,” Duggan said.
Among the more visible improvements slated for this summer are new flooring at Madison School in Hinsdale, a renovated library at Oak School in Hinsdale, and the replacement play lot at Walker School in Clarendon Hills.
“Less visible, but equally impactful is a significant investment in heating, ventilation and air conditioning. control upgrades — work that may go unnoticed, but will be felt in the comfort and air quality of every classroom,” Duggan said.
Along with the significant work at Madison, Oak and Walker, additional summer work includes office remodel and installation of doors from Media Resource Center to the exterior at Monroe School in Hinsdale, public address system replacement, HVAC controls and a new sign at Clarendon Hills Middle School, Washington Field upgrades at Hinsdale Middle School, HVAC controls at Elm School in Burr Ridge, chiller replacement at The Lane School in Hinsdale and district-wide access control system replacement.
Duggan said the Clarendon Hills Middle School sign and Walker School play lot are architect-led projects, and the balance of the planned projects are being run “in-house.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
