Plan to create secure Lake Zurich High main entrance

Lake Zurich Unit District 95 officials are making plans for summer projects that could include creating a dedicated and secured main entrance for the high school.

District 95 facilities committee members have received an outline of the proposed Lake Zurich High School entrance from Itasca-based DLA Architects Ltd. DLA projects the expense at $700,000.

"We took a look at creating an entrance to the high school because we really don't have one," said Vicky Cullinan, the district's assistant superintendent for business and operations.

The school now has multiple building entrances - visitors could perceive the main entry at doors near the library and principal's office. Others might believe it appears to be at doors near the gymnasium.

DLA partner Carrie Matlock said in a presentation last week the proposed easily identified, secured main entrance would built between the library and gym. There would be a containment area with a door specified for outside visitor use to bolster security.

Students would enter the building and go through a lobby area's security station. An angled canopy would be above the entrance, along with a sign clearly labeling the building as Lake Zurich High School.

District 95 board member Scott McConnell, who serves on the committee, said gone are the days when people used many entrances to come and go from a school.

"I really like the concept," McConnell said of the proposal.

Another potential summer project might include the start of roof repairs at May Whitney Elementary School on Church Street in Lake Zurich. The building, just south of the high school, serves kindergarten through fifth grade students.

Matlock said a new roof would not be financially prudent for May Whitney because its future is unsettled. Instead, she said, a urethane coating could be applied to the roof at less expense to extend its life.

"What you do is you clean and you patch any areas that you need to and you cover this with a coating," Matlock said. "And it can last up to 10, 12 years. And it's warranted 10 to 12 years."

Matlock said the coating likely would cost about $10 per square foot. An exact total would depend on how much of the roof receives the coating.

The original May Whitney closed in August 2007 after mold and asbestos were found in the building after flooding. Students have since attended classes in a building previously called the Annex and connected to the original May Whitney before it was demolished.