District 303 board could vote tonight to seek Haines project construction bids

Special education programming, intergovernmental partnerships and facility upgrades are included in a roughly $4.17 million plan to repurpose the former Haines Middle School in St. Charles.

District 303 school board members got a look last week at proposed designs, timelines and cost estimates for updating the recently shuttered building.

Tonight, they'll vote on whether to start seeking construction bids, though they emphasized a decision on completing any part of the two-phase project won't be made until this fall.

Closing Haines at the end of last academic year was part of a nearly $50 million plan to consolidate and update the district's middle schools. The use of the site at 305 S. Ninth St. has been a hot topic for months among board members, some of whom have been hesitant to make improvements without a clearer vision of the district's long-term needs.

Officials have expressed concern about whether some proposed programs are the best uses for the building and whether any part of the structure should be demolished. However, they also don't want the 61-year-old facility to sit vacant, especially when there's a community need for the space.

Uses by the park district and public library are incorporated into the first phase of the proposed Haines renovation.

The park district has requested using the gymnasium for its programming needs, beginning as early as January if plans move forward, said architect Mark Hayes of ATS & R. The adjacent band, choir and orchestra rooms also could be converted into fitness rooms.

Library leaders have asked for a more temporary use starting in April while their headquarters at 1 S. Sixth Ave. undergoes a roughly $18.6 million renovation.

Instead of leasing retail space or working around the construction, the library plans to rent the Haines learning resource center, the sixth-grade wing and part of the Project Lead the Way wing for various public circulation, staff and storage purposes.

"It's not just a monetary savings," library Director Edith Craig said. "It's really quality of environment of how patrons, how our taxpayers, use the library and our services."

Both entities also would update the bathrooms to be handicap-accessible at their own expense, Hayes added.

District 303 officials also are considering transforming the former cafeteria area into a space for its special education transitions program, which helps 18- to 22-year-olds with disabilities gain life skills.

A kitchen, a bedroom-style "life skills" area, an accessible toilet and changing rooms, a vocational lab and a nurse's office would be incorporated into that space, Hayes said. Administrators proposed creating two classrooms, though board members could elect to add only one as a less-expensive option.

Additionally, the project's first phase includes demolishing a two-story wing and moving the department of instructional interventions into the front offices, along with other building and roof improvements. The work would cost the district an estimated $2.5 million.

In the proposed second phase, the library would move out at the end of May 2021, allowing the sixth-grade wing to be razed if the board chooses.

The learning resource center would be converted into a community room, the NorthEast Academy program would move into the Project Lead the Way wing, and the department of instruction for curriculum would take over office space.

"One of the things we've tried to think about in the improvements to this facility is to make the spaces as flexible as possible," Superintendent Jason Pearson said.

To adhere to the park district and library's proposed schedules, the school board would need to vote tonight to authorize ATS & R to prepare construction documents and go out to bid, Pearson said. The bids would be brought back to the business services committee meeting in October, he said, at which point board members could discuss whether to move forward with any aspect of the project.

If a final decision is made in November, construction would start later that month.

Officials will have ongoing conversations about possible project scenarios, Board President Carolyn Waibel said, but she encouraged board members to move the process forward "for the sake of our partnerships."

"In this case, (we) not only work with them, but help them out and help the taxpayers out," she said. "I think that's really important here."