Dist. 220 narrows Hough renovation options to three plans
The monthslong debate over what form the renovations to Hough Elementary School in Barrington will take should be settled in just two more weeks. Tuesday night, the Barrington Area Unit School District board narrowed the available options to three, which range in estimated price from $510,000 to just over $1 million.
The nearly two-hour discussion of the renovation options was attended by about 35 people, most of them members of the Hough Elementary community, in addition to about 65 people watching the district's livestream online. The big question of the night was whether the renovation plan would require the district's extended self-contained gifted program to leave Hough Elementary after more than 30 years in the building.
Patti Haney, who teaches in the gifted program at Hough, told the board during public comment that she decided to wear a vest commemorating the school's recent Blue Ribbon award as a reminder that the gifted program was part of the reason the school won.
"Hough was honored due to the combined efforts of our staff, and (the gifted program) is part of that staff and has been that way for 30 years," Haney said. "I hope that we can find a way to make the spaces work in the little building that we love."
Two of the three plans the board is considering are similar in their physical layout, with both estimated to cost between $755,000 and just over $1 million. The chief difference is that one plan would keep the district's gifted program at the school and the other would move the program to Lines Elementary on the east side of Barrington, using the freed-up area at Hough for a music room and other instructional space.
Both of the plans would move the school's main office, nurse's office and principal's office to the front of building in space currently occupied by a classroom.
The third plan, which is estimated to cost between $510,000 and $680,000, would leave a classroom in the front of the school and add a small office next to the front entrance. Like in the other plan, a staff member would be able to have an eye on the front door from that office.
Board member Wendy Farley said she felt the more expensive plans offered better security because they made the office into the gateway to the school, which is how the district's other elementary schools are set up.
The board directed Greg Stahler, an architect contracted by the district, to work with the staff to refine the three plans over the next two weeks. Stahler and a group that includes Hough principal Jim Aalfs have been working on the Hough plan for more than two months now.
"I appreciate everyone taking this so seriously, investing time and trying to make the best decision for our school and for the district," Aalfs said. "They do their homework."
The board members are expected to choose which layout they prefer at their next meeting on Feb. 16. Because that meeting will also include a discussion on the district's start times, it might be moved from the Early Learning Center to a bigger building.