Elgin charter school seeks to improve buildings on property

The Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School plans to renovate and modernize buildings at the school site that currently are uninhabitable.

Elgin City Council members on Wednesday approved a request from school leaders to transfer to EMSA ownership of the property, formerly known as the Fox River Country Day School on Dundee Avenue. EMSA has been leasing the property since 2017 for $1 a year.

However, the council rejected the school's appeal for financial assistance for various projects citing tight finances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school asked for up to $355,000 to demolish an on-campus dormitory, dining hall renovations, and to resurface a driveway.

The city council will vote on a real estate contract with EMSA at a future date. It could include "a right of first refusal" to reacquire the property should the school want to sell it in the future and a clause that, if resold, the city would recoup the property's initial value, estimated years ago at about $1 million.

EMSA charter school, which opened in 2018, serves 260 students in kindergarten through fourth grade and employs 34 staff members.

The Neill building on campus houses the school's 13 classrooms, and the former field house has been transformed into an art and music center with a $350,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation and the Gardner Foundation.

Three other buildings - a former gymnasium, administrative building and dining hall - are unusable due to roof, water and mold damage. The buildings are historically and architecturally significant, Principal Lezlie Fuhr said.

"The city has been responsible for liability and maintenance of the property," Fuhr said. "Not only is this a costly relationship for Elgin, but its ownership has prevented EMSA from securing low-interest financing to continue building rehabilitation."

School officials envision adding more classroom spaces, labs, a library, gymnasium and a stage for fine arts performances.

"We plan to renovate the gym building and the administrative building as part of our campus expansion plan," Fuhr said. "There are no plans currently to use the dining hall."

A $5.5 million loan will cover gym renovations and infrastructure improvements. Revamping the administrative building will be part of the next phase of construction, which officials aim to support through fundraising.

Officials anticipate reopening the campus in the fall for in-person and remote classes. School leaders plan to add grades each year through eighth grade for a maximum enrollment of 400 students, as allowed by state law.