The Lockport Township High School District District 205 Board of Education recently approved a “decision making guide” for the next 10 years of improvements at both of its campuses.

The district has been exploring options for facility improvements at both Central and East campuses for several years, an issue which became a priority in late 2023 after a classroom ceiling collapsed at Central Campus, requiring a temporary building closure.

Despite the emergency and immediate repairs needed, voters rejected in March 2024 a referendum which would have provided funding for extensive long-term improvements.

The school board then explored other funding options and prioritized projects based on need.

Last summer the district utilized Health and Life Safety bonds to make improvements at Central including a new roof, extensive exterior masonry work, new windows, and interior electrical work, projects which will be largely completed this summer.

The document adopted by the board includes the plans for 2026 as well as a rough layout of plans for both campuses through 2036, though it is subject to change year to year.

“The work for this summer and the projects for 2027 are pretty much set,” Superintendent Dr. Robert McBride told Shaw Local. “It’s only a guide though because conditions change. Projects come up unexpectedly and costs change over time. Every time we approve a building, funding or bonds need to be approved to do it project by project.”

McBride, who is entering the last year of his contract at District 205, noted that projects for spring and summer 2027 will need to begin the approval process either this summer or early fall, so they have largely been finalized, and that by that time the focus will “shift towards East Campus.”

Among the projects anticipated for summer 2027 at East are roof replacement, an overhaul of the pool and its mechanical systems, bathroom remodeling, and extensive stadium work including the replacement of the bleachers, stadium lighting, and track and field surfacing.

“All of the pool mechanics and the stadium features have lived their lives. Some of them are over 30 years old and it’s time for them to be replaced,” McBride said.

Summer 2027 will also see some continued work at Central including final window replacement and stabilization work, and replacements of interior furnishings like carpet, tile, paint, and interior doors.

Other projects anticipated for Central in 2027 are elevator modernization, a renovation of the science classrooms, renovations to special education facilities, and relocating the secured vestibule to the Smith Foyer.

Overall the anticipated cost for the 2026 work is $7,189,284 and the 2027 projects are estimated to cost $18,023,672.

All of the projects are budgeted in either the district’s annual budget, from cash reserves, or through the acquisition of Health and Life Safety bonds.

Those bonds must be pre-approved for projects that will guarantee improved safety of school facilities and are all approved by the State of Illinois.

2027 and beyond

After these initial projects, others eyed for after 2027 were budgeted based on expected need.

Priority was determined from recommendations from the district’s architects, a mechanical engineering study of both campuses, and brainstorming among members of the district’s facilities planning council, which is made up of students, staff members, parents, and community members.

Potential projects for both campuses include gradual remodeling of bathrooms; replacement of interior flooring, paint, and doors at East; exterior door and wall work at East; new fire escape equipment at Central; major stadium, gym, and field house renovations at East; and ongoing, gradual replacement of outdated mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems at both campuses.

The planning document also recommends several projects be deferred beyond the 10-year scope of the planning including locker replacement, locker room renovations, kitchen and serving line remodeling, gymnasium upgrades to the athletic equipment and flooring, and the addition of a sprinkler system and air conditioning at Central.

At East deferred projects include boiler replacement, conversion to LED lighting, science classroom remodeling, locker room renovations, and the student street project.

McBride said that deferred projects are things that “should last more than 10 years” but that they “should be monitored” in case circumstances change.

In total about $65.5 million in projects are recommended to be deferred until after 2036, while over $119 million in projects are slated for the next decade.

Each project will need to receive individual approval and undergo a bid process so costs are subject to change, as are the specific projects on the list and their timing.

“There were a zillion ideas that didn’t make the list,” McBride said. “We tried to limit it to what was needed most and what the district could afford.”