YORKVILLE – School District Y115 will spend up to $935,000 for new playground equipment and other amenities at three Yorkville grade schools, along with minor work at three elementary schools.

Portions of the playgrounds at Yorkville Grade School, Bristol Grade School and Circle Center Grade School need to be replaced and updated, Director of Facility Operations Heather DiVerde told the Yorkville School Board at a recent committee-level meeting.

Along with the three grade schools the district will be including some minor additions to Bristol Bay Elementary School, Grande Reserve Elementary School and Autumn Creek Elementary School, DiVerde said.

In most school districts, the terms grade school and elementary school are used interchangeably, but in District Y115 there is a distinction.

Yorkville grade schools are K-3 attendance centers, while elementary schools handle the range of K-6 classes. Students from the grade schools attend Yorkville Intermediate School for grades 4-6.

In order to save money, the playground equipment installation will take place in September after school has started, DiVerde said.

Board member Leslie Smogor worried that the arrangement would interfere with activities at the schools. DiVerde said the installation work will take just five days.

District Finance and Operations Director Kreg Wesley said most of the playground project cost will come from a capital fund that was generated through a bond issue.

However, $140,000 of the cost will come from federal grant monies associated with COVID-19 pandemic relief.

In December 2020, the district issued $9 million in general obligation bonds to finance capital projects.

By statute, 85% of that money must be spent within three years, meaning December of this year.

The bond money must be used only for capital projects such as building improvements and not for operational costs such as salaries or academic programs.

Expenditures have included $800,000 for the second and third phases of the roof replacement project at the Yorkville High School and $377,00 for the roof at Bristol Grade School.

Two major improvements performed last year were focused on school building security.

The district replaced, upgraded and expanded its security camera system at all school buildings for a cost of $1 million, also installing bullet-resistant glass in school building entrances and vestibules at a cost of $35,000.

Meanwhile, the district spent another $750,000 of the bond money to finance the renovation work to transform a building that was purchased by the district into the Early Childhood Center, which opened its doors at the start of this school year.

More capital projects are on the way.

These include a new district maintenance building along West Saumonauk Street near Yorkville Academy, which is budgeted at $300,000. The building also will become the new home for the high school robotics program.

And of course there is the $2.3 million the district is spending on synthetic turf and other improvements at the high school football field and high school baseball and softball fields.

Work on the football field has already begun and is scheduled for completion on Aug. 11.

Another capital project includes $500,000 for the replacement of critical air-conditioning components at Grande Reserve Elementary School.

Installation of the new chiller and compressors will get underway in the spring of 2024.

The existing 215-ton air-cooled chiller is leaking freon from each compressor. Tubes inside the cooling barrels have cracks and also are leaking the chemical.

With an enrollment of 630 students, Grande Reserve is by far the district’s largest elementary or grade school.