District 220 ready to close on building for new headquarters
Barrington Area Unit District 220 is expected to finalize a deal this month to buy a building that'll become its new administration headquarters.
If the tentative deal goes through, District 220 will move from a residential neighborhood in Barrington to property PepsiCo Inc. most recently used for its Gatorade division, officials said. The District 220 board in February voted to spend $1.1 million for the 20,000-square-foot office building at 515 W. Main St., across the street from Barrington High School.
Tim Neubauer, the district's assistant superintendent of business services, said Thursday that a closing on the property is to occur on or about May 16. Employees likely will be relocated in October, he said.
About 50 employees work in the current headquarters building at 310 James St., officials said. It is not yet known what will be done with that facility, which officials say lacks parking and work space.
District 220 board President Brian Battle said a decision eventually needs to made on whether to sell, demolish or repurpose the James Street building. Board member Gavin Newman said it could be a good idea to develop a strategic plan regarding the administration headquarters.
"I don't want to be stuck with two (administration) facilities, one not being utilized," Newman said.
District 220's James Street structure has been a longtime issue. Officials as far back as 2001 discussed selling it or moving elsewhere.
Still to be determined is how much interior renovation should be done at the PepsiCo building that will become the new District 220 headquarters. District spokeswoman Samantha Ptashkin said the school board's facilities committee will address the potential work and cost.
Vacant for a few years, PepsiCo's former Gatorade offices not only are expected to provide more space for administration employees, but also offer room for large gatherings of educators for professional development and more parking, district officials said.