Despite higher cost, Barrington school renovation approved
Despite a higher-than-expected price tag, the Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board voted Tuesday to approve a $1.3 million renovation to Hough Elementary School.
The project, which was first brought before the school board in November, will address several concerns raised by the parents, chief among them being safety.
Hough, at 310 S. Hough St. in Barrington, is the only District 220 school where the main office is not adjacent to the building's front entrance. That arrangement is seen as less secure because school staff cannot as easily see who is coming in and out of the building.
The renovation will change that, as well as add new windows to the front of the building to give staff a better view.
"It's going to be very nice," said board member Wendy Farley, a Hough parent and an advocate for the project. "I think having the full view by having the extra window will be a very good enhancement."
The windows and some other optional enhancements raised the project's price by $157,615, from $1.18 million to $1.34 million. Back in February, officials estimated the cost at $946,640.
Greg Stahler, an architect contracted by the district, said bids came in higher than anticipated.
The district typically spends about $2.5 million on summer capital improvement projects, but with the Hough renovation and about $2 million in work planned at other buildings, the board intends to spend an estimated $3.4 million this year.
To make up for the increase, which will require the district to dip into their estimated $5.5 million capital project reserve fund, the board plans to limit their annual summer project spending to $2.2 million during the next three years.
"It can only be called a goal because if the roof comes down, the roof has to go back up," said board member Joe Ruffolo, who serves on the board's facilities committee. "In our current climate, a rainy-day fund is an absolute necessity. Over the next three years after this we're going to have to tighten our belts to make sure we get that fund back to where it was."
Budget concerns or not, the plan remains popular with the Hough Elementary community.
"We are so grateful that the safety of our children has been made a priority for our district," said Kelley Schauenberg, a Hough parent and PTO co-president. "It's been a long road, but we have our path and we look forward to August when our children, faculty and staff enter a safe and secure learning environment."