Pingree charter school grows, village wants traffic addressed

Cambridge Lakes Charter School in Pingree Grove is moving forward with plans to add a new building to accommodate increasing enrollment.

Earlier this week, the Pingree Grove village board approved issuing $6.4 million in bonds for the project with the condition that the school, at 900 Wester Blvd., resolve traffic congestion problems along Cambridge Lakes Drive, Village Administrator Bill Barlow said.

The school bonds are in the village's name for conduit purposes only, Barlow said. “There is no taxpayer obligation,” he said. “The village is only involved in setting up the bonds, but payment and obligations are all on the charter school.”

The village has had ongoing discussions with charter school officials about cars lining up along Cambridge Lakes Drive while waiting to pick up students at the end of the school day, he said.

At a meeting between school and village officials on Wednesday, school officials said they plan to reverse the flow of the school's internal driveway so that cars will enter from Wester Boulevard instead of Cambridge Lakes Drive, Barlow said.

“This way most of the stacking (of cars) will take place along the driveway” instead of village streets, Barlow said.

The school also is planning to build a parking lot, which will further alleviate congestion, he added.

Police Chief Carol Lussky, who also attended the meeting, said she doesn't have “any huge reservations at this point” regarding traffic issues.

Village consultants will analyze the school's architectural drawings, and Village President Greg Marston has to give a final OK before the bond issuance can move forward, Barlow said.

Silvia Polletta, vice president of corporate administration for Northern Kane Educational Corp., which runs the charter school, said construction of the new building started in April and will be completed in August in time for the new school year. The school was built in 2007 and serves students in preschool through eighth grade. The new building will house sixth- through-eighth graders, Polletta said. Next year's enrollment will be 707, up from 588 this year, she said.

The school's master plan calls for one more building to be built sometime in the future, she said. “We're guesstimating about two years, you just can't tell,” she said. “You have to watch enrollment.”

Larry Fuhrer, president and CEO of Northern Kane Educational Corp., said the bonds will be paid off semiannually over 30 years.

Community Unity District 300 spokeswoman Allison Strupeck said the charter school doesn't need the district's approval for new construction.