Dist. 203 moves quickly on Central plans after voters' OK

Naperville Central High School will be under construction for three years -- from the summer of 2009 through the summer of 2012, district officials said Monday.

Naperville Unit District 203 hit the ground running as it unveiled a timeline for construction of $114.9 million in building enhancements around the district including an $87.7 million renovation to Central.

Last week voters approved a $43 million tax increase to help fund the projects.

"One week later here we are and we're ready to go full tilt," Superintendent Alan Leis said.

The work on Central will begin in 2009 with physical education and classroom additions. That summer the district will also install synthetic turf on the school's stadium with the goal of being done before the football season begins. It is still considering whether to do so at Naperville North during the same summer or stagger the two.

Central's three-story wing -- a mixture of renovation and new construction that will house the major academic areas -- will be complete by fall of 2011. At this time the district also hopes to have a new kitchen facility at the school that would be able to provide hot lunch to all 14 elementary schools.

Some classes may be held in mobile classrooms just outside the school while work is under way. The entire project is scheduled to end by fall of 2012.

Board Vice President Susan Crotty asked architects Monday to look for ways of finishing sooner.

"My concern is those students who are there through renovation for so long," she said. "It's almost two full graduation classes that live most of their time through construction and don't really have ownership over the school."

But Brad Paulsen, a consultant from Wight and Company, said the timeline for renovations projects is tricky because students have to be moved around strategically while construction is ongoing.

At Mill Street Elementary, which is getting $7.3 million in renovations and a physical education addition, construction is scheduled to run from fall of 2008 through summer of 2009.

The district also plans to build an $11 million early childhood center in the Huntington Estates area just off Naper Boulevard. Work will begin in summer of 2009 and last for about a year.

The district also has a number of projects in mind for Naperville North including deepening the pool and improving traffic flow outside the building. Interior work will begin in winter of 2009 while site work will start that spring. Both are scheduled to be complete by that fall unless the district decides to add turf to the football field at a different time.

Other projects include enhancing security at Ranch View and Prairie elementary schools and Washington Junior High. Those projects will likely take place during the summer of 2009.

The timeline is preliminary and the district will continue to tweak it as it meets with architects, staff and parents.

"Some things are going to come along that will provide us opportunities that will be exciting and wonderful and I'm sure we'll have some challenges as well," Leis said.

The district is also creating a new campaign -- Building the Future -- to keep residents informed about the projects. For more information, visit www.naperville203 .org.