Schools

D122 Says No Price Tag On Safety, Discusses Renovations

Ice buildup at Oster-Oakview School is prompting the school district to look at a possible $96,000* project to renovate drainage in the parking lot.

A photo shared with the District 122 Board of Education on Wednesday illustrated a safety concern that's been an issue for years now, but finally needs to be fixed, administrators said.

The photo, taken March 1, shows an icy buildup outside of Oster-Oakview School during student arrival, a safety hazard that, despite high costs to repair, officials and board members agreed can no longer wait.

"It's something we're working very hard to control," said Bob Nelson, the district's director of planning and facilities. "But if we want it completely repaired, then this is the best path."

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Nelson said it reflects an ongoing condition in which snow melts from the green space in front of Oster-Oakview and flows across the drive and walkway, only to freeze again at night. This is prevalent on both sides of the lot, including the south end where students are dropped off.

In a letter to the board, Nelson said that during winter there is not enough time to melt and remove the ice before buses come.

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During a Site & Long-Range Planning Committee meeting on Feb. 25, 2009, Nelson recommended to include improvements in the green space as a part of the performance contract as Oster-Oakview. Currently, the green space holds water for most of the year, but the improvement would have included the installation of storm sewer piping, structures and re-grading of the entire green space to create an outdoor P.E. area.

The estimate for this work was $96,000, and because of the cost the school board didn't move forward with the recommendation. Now, Nelson is asking the board to consider improvements to some or all of the parking lot and for work to occur on it this summer.

The board didn't vote on the matter, but members mostly seemed to agree that the safety of students, staff and parents was necessary to protect.

"We'll pay a lot more than this in a lawsuit," board member Kathy Miller said.

Member Patrick Martino said he'd like to see a list of high-priority facility improvements with updated cost estimates. In January, the board , which could total about $27 million, though that encompasses projects for the next decade or two. The site and construction fund will have about $1 million left at the end of this year, business manager Harold Huang said.

"An older body needs some more care and work," Superintendent Mike Sass said. "We need a long-term plan as a Board of Education with how to find revenue for facility funding."

*A sub-headline in a previous version of this article incorrectly stated the estimated amount of the project. The correct number was in the article.


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