Mundelein High studies facility needs

As Mundelein High School teachers and students embark on the campus' 46th year, architectural consultants are scrutinizing which parts of the aging building need to be modernized or improved.

At the school board's request, Waukegan-based Legat Architects began a facilities study in early August. The investigation should be completed by late October, and the board will publicly discuss how to move forward with the recommendations next year, said Gary Lonquist, the school's business director.

The firm will be paid $38,000 for the report.

The school's finance committee reviewed the project Tuesday night during a meeting at Mundelein High. No action was taken.

The architects, working with engineers, are examining the school's outdoor features -- such as the parking lot, athletic fields and drainage system -- the physical structure of the building and its interior amenities. The floors, walls, pool, auditorium, roof, heating system, plumbing and telephone network are among the many areas being studied, Lonquist said.

Those elements will be ranked based on how well they work and how well they comply with safety or building codes, he said.

About $200,000 has been set aside for facility improvements and maintenance work in the recently approved budget for the new fiscal year, but no big projects are planned, officials have said. Some work was done over the summer, too, including the creation of a public meeting room and some electrical improvements.

The Legat study was ordered at a time when residents have been unwilling to give the school more money for facility improvements or educational programs. Voters have rejected five ballot proposals since 2005.

The research is part of a long-range plan planning process for the district. Other elements of that long-range process already have been completed, such as a capacity study and enrollment projections, Lonquist said.

The school board agreed to buy a nearby golf course in 2004 as a future site for a second campus or athletic fields, but officials recently said the land may not be needed.