Repurposing Haines possible, but some District 303 board members hesitant
As the closure of Haines Middle School looms, St. Charles Unit District 303 officials are leaning toward repurposing portions of the building to accommodate special education programming, a new board room and other uses deemed priorities.
However, some school board members say they're hesitant to commit to another multimillion-dollar construction project without a more thorough evaluation of students' needs.
For months, district officials have been discussing what to do with the school after it closes at the end of the academic year. A roughly $50 million plan to upgrade the other two middle schools, Wredling and Thompson, is expected to wrap up in time to absorb the additional students this fall.
Board members have ruled out demolishing or selling Haines, parts of which are 60 years old. Most said they believe the more sensible option is to tear down sections of the building with the least value and update the remaining space to fit long-term needs.
“I'd like to be very clear about how valuable it is to a lot of people,” board President Kathy Hewell said during a business services committee meeting last week. “This is a community asset, and I think we should really look at it that way.”
Of two proposals presented by administrators, most board members favored a $3.83 million option to knock down the sixth-grade wing and two-story addition. The rest of the facility would be occupied by a new board room, department of instruction offices, and community and professional learning spaces.
The St. Charles Park District has expressed interest in partnering with District 303 to use the Haines gym, and the band and orchestra classrooms.
Additionally, the district's NorthEast Academy and transitional special education programs would be relocated into the building, giving students access to unique spaces, such as an art studio and a commercial kitchen, Superintendent Jason Pearson said. The move would allow for anticipated program growth, he said, particularly for the transitional classes that help 18-to-22-year-olds with disabilities acquire life skills.
“We want to continue to enhance the experience students are able to have in that program and maybe give them a more diverse set of job skills training,” Pearson said.
One downside of the plan, Hewell said, is separating the board room from administrative offices at 201 S. Seventh St. She asked project leaders to look into the cost of keeping and repurposing Haines' sixth-grade wing to accommodate those offices, though that would leave the existing administration building vacant.
Though supportive of creating more space for the transitional and NorthEast Academy programs, board members Carolyn Waibel and Heidi Fairgrieve said they aren't convinced the renovation project is the best use of district money. Waibel said she thinks officials need to “pump the breaks” and consider the plan in stages based on immediate need.
“For us to look at another decent-size bill and construction project, we need to make sure it's tied to a strategy, a specific timeline and what our expectations of outcomes are going to be,” Waibel said. “I don't feel that we have a clear picture of that in relation to what our students' needs are.”
Fairgrieve also questioned whether some proposed building upgrades could be reduced to save money.
Board members Nick Manheim and Scott Nowling said they have no problem tweaking the proposal and considering some modifications to ensure the building is used at an optimal level. But “dragging out” the project and deferring maintenance isn't cost-effective, they said.
“It's way more expensive to do it that way. We need to look at it from a holistic standpoint,” Manheim said. “While we don't need to rush into anything, we do need to move this along and give the administration guidance because we don't want to sit there with an eyesore or something that's vacant for years. I don't think that's a good use of tax dollars.”