Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep announces future move to vacant Kmart building in Waukegan
Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep has announced plans to buy and move to the former, now vacant, Kmart building in Waukegan after renovating and reconfiguring the facility for use as a modern educational campus, officials said in a news release.
The new facilities at 3110 Belvidere Road would accommodate the school's growing enrollment from 95 students at its founding in 2004, to 360 currently and 400 expected for the 2015-16 academic year. Further growth is anticipated as the school meets increasing demand, officials said.
The project addresses the school's increasingly crowded and aging current facility in a former grade school at 501 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Waukegan, that requires extensive and costly repairs and upgrades, officials said. The move also would establish the school in an expanded, more modern and supportive college prep environment that would accommodate critical programs, including science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and physical education, officials said.
“As we launch our next decade of service, we are standing on the threshold of something great — a chance for Cristo Rey St. Martin to take a quantum leap in the quality of education we bring to low-income youth from Waukegan and North Chicago,” said Preston Kendall, the school's president. “With a new, more modern educational campus and facility, Cristo Rey St. Martin can play an even greater role in helping our families break the cycle of economic disadvantage, beat the odds against them, and launch a greater future for our next generation and our community as well.”
Kendall said the preliminary cost estimate on the purchase and renovation project is $20 million. He said $5 million has been raised to date, and officials expect a couple of years of fundraising will be needed to generate enough cash and pledges to begin construction.
Officials said in the news release the Kmart property was selected after an extensive two-year search of more than 45 locations, because it provides the most convenient, easy and safe access for students and their families. The renovation of the 115,492-square-foot building will provide an additional 70,000 square feet of expanded learning space and a 21st Century educational environment to prepare students for college and careers.
Cristo Rey is a Catholic college preparatory school that offers young people from families of limited means the opportunity for a college education, career and successful life of faith, purpose and service. It is one of 28 schools across the country, with locations including Waukegan, Chicago's West Side, San Francisco and New York City, in the Cristo Rey school network.