‘Surprised and disappointed’: Antioch planning board opposes District 34 school building permit

Antioch Elementary School District 34 is warning of potentially costly delays for its plan to replace a century-old early learning center after the village’s planning board voted 4-3 to recommend denying a permit for a new facility’s proposed site.

Board members raised concerns about traffic, parking and sidewalks, arguing a new school on the 25-acre site at the southwest corner of Tiffany Road and North Avenue would exacerbate existing problems.

In a community newsletter, District 34 Superintendent Aron Borowiak said the district was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision.

Despite the recommendation, the school district plans to move forward with the application at the Oct. 14 Antioch Village Board meeting, with Borowiak warning delays could push the project out years and cost millions more.

‘On its last legs’

The Mary Kay McNeill Early Learning Center currently operates out of a building first opened in 1928. According to the district, it’s struggling with limited space, and staff is working with students in hallways or sharing “tiny rooms.”

Borowiak described it as a “facility on its last legs.”

School board President Mary Beth Hulting said the building requires “escalating maintenance.”

The proposed new facility will bring the center into compliance with modern standards, including an Illinois law requiring districts to offer full-day kindergarten by the 2027-28 school year.

“Our vision for Antioch is to be the destination district in Lake County,” Hulting said. “This new building would really be a showcase and a spectacular learning spot for the pre-K and the kindergarteners.”

The project is estimated to cost about $58 million, according to Hulting, without additional burden on taxpayers or the need for a referendum. According to the district website, it’ll be paid for with existing bond capacity and new state-permitted self-funding.

Current plans would have the new school completed and welcoming students by August 2028.

But Hulting warned the price tag could rise and the opening date be delayed if the current site does win village approval. The district is planning an information event for community members on Oct. 6.

“We have full confidence in the (Antioch village) trustees that they’ll see our vision,” Hulting said.

She pushed back on several alternative sites that have been discussed. The district owns property near Savage Road and Route 173, but she said it’s planned for an elementary school and would require installing utilities and another road. And the Hillcrest Elementary School site is “very tight,” she said.

And according to Hulting, about 70% of their student population lives near the district’s proposed site, greatly reducing busing needs. It’s also near the fire department, meaning quick response times in emergencies, she said.

Mayor responds

The dispute has led to something of a public tiff between the village and school district, with Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner criticizing an online statement from the district that named listed planning board members and their votes as an act of public shaming.

Disagreements should be “handled professionally and directly, rather than through social media,” he said in an online statement earlier this month.

While D34 “has every right to advocate for its project,” residents also have the right to oppose it, he said, noting the “significant” traffic concerns that have been raised.

“District 34 should be held to the same land-use standards we would expect of any other applicant coming before the village,” Gartner said.

“I respect that District 34 may disagree with the recommendation. I expect District 34 to show the same respect to the residents who volunteer their time on behalf of Antioch and reached a different conclusion after considering the evidence presented to them,” he added.

In newsletter remarks from Borowiak after the mayor’s statement, he said District 34 bought the parcel in 1994, “with the intention that it would eventually serve as the site of a future D34 school.”

He said the district has been open about its plans, “including extensive communication with village officials, meetings with residents from nearby Tiffany Farms subdivision, and the broader community.”

D34 has also invested “considerable time and resources in evaluating traffic, drainage, parking, safety, and other site-related concerns,” and the district believes it has “addressed the concerns raised during the public review process.”

If the village board doesn’t approve the location, Borowiak said the center will remain in its current building, and the district will “carefully evaluate other alternatives,” including acquiring a different site, renovating the existing building, or removing the existing facility and building a new one on the same property. But these would all require additional study, delays, and “significantly increase costs.”

jstates@chicagotribune.com