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Glenbard making big progress on $100 million improvement plan

When a giant red crane parks in front of Glenbard East High School, you know there's a little more than primping going on before students return to classes.

Turns out installing air conditioning at one of the oldest schools in the district requires some serious lifting.

"This is the most we've ever done in a year," Assistant Superintendent Chris McClain said of the work at the Lombard campus.

This summer's construction season marks the second in a decadelong, roughly $100 million plan to improve the four high schools in Glenbard District 87. And this season made a significant dent in the to-do list of repairs.

At East alone, the district has spent about $11.3 million this summer on mechanical, electrical and plumbing work in addition to other projects.

"It's kind of never-ending," McClain said.

The crane, spanning the length of one side of the school, was used to install a cooling tower and other equipment on the roof.

Previously, only certain sections of Glenbard East were partially air-conditioned by inefficient, individual units. The new cooling plant, by contrast, will fully air-condition the school and help the district save on utility bills.

Glenbard West's Biester Gym went through the same process of putting machinery and the necessary structural supports - again, via a crane - on the roof to get air conditioning.

Students still will have to try to cool off on their own when the mercury climbs in the main West building, which dates to the 1920s and is the last in the district without air conditioning.

But a new outdoor utility area and mechanical room in a three-story addition finally will air-condition the Glen Ellyn campus by the 2016 school year.

The district also plans to break ground on West's new science wing later this month. Along with renovations of old science labs next summer, the total bill should reach $16.5 million.

At Glenbard North in Carol Stream, meanwhile, crews repaved and replaced curbs in the west parking lot and installed a new LED sign. The school also was the first to get its food service area revamped, McClain said.

"There's so much going on at East, we want to make sure there's some level of investment and parity going on in each of the buildings," McClain said.

The $100 million plan is funded from several sources: $35 million was raised by extending debt due to retire, a move approved by voters in a ballot question; $20 million from so-called "alternative revenue source" bonds; and the district's operational budget.

Roughly 40 percent of the plan involves mechanical, engineering and plumbing projects, McClain said. Among the next steps? Replacing roofing and renovating classrooms, locker rooms, restrooms and science labs.

What could throw a wrench in that plan, however, are uncertainties in Springfield. If lawmakers shift pension costs to school districts, freeze property taxes or revise a school funding formula, the district would have to reprioritize or even scratch some projects, McClain said.

"That's the huge caveat with the capital project list," he said.

A crane helped install the machinery on the roof of Glenbard East High School to fully air-condition the Lombard campus. Courtesy of Glenbard High School District 87
A crane rose above Glenbard East High School as part of a project this summer to fully air-condition the Lombard campus. Courtesy of Glenbard High School District 87
Crews refinish the wood floors at Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn. Courtesy of Glenbard High School District 87
  Glenbard North High School's parking lot was resurfaced and a new electronic sign was installed during a busy construction season at the Carol Stream campus. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
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