The Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education has approved nearly $3 million for projects at four schools to be completed over next summer.
The item was included in the meeting’s consent agenda on Monday, meaning it and other items were passed with a single vote without specific discussion, but the improvements were previously included in a presentation last month about planned summer 2025 projects.
District 204 Chief Business Officer Matt Shipley said in a phone call on Wednesday that the projects represent some of the district’s highest priority needs, which were identified in the district’s 2023 Facility Assessment and Master Plan.
The projects will upgrade HVAC and other air circulation systems, which are past their useful life and need to be replaced, at four of the district’s oldest schools: Waubonsie Valley High School, Hill Middle School and Clow Elementary and Springbrook Elementary schools, Shipley said.
Waubonsie Valley High School will be getting a new water heater for its pool, according to John Robinson, director of facility operations. He said during a Wednesday phone call that the heater, which is significantly larger than a home’s water heater, runs often because the pool is open from early morning to late at night.
It isn’t just one part getting replaced, either. The whole system is getting replaced, from the pumps to the combustion air intakes, Robinson said.
Another project at Waubonsie Valley that will be funded by the newly-approved $2.9 million is an upgraded air exhaust system for the fieldhouse, according to Shipley. He said the fieldhouse is not air conditioned, and neither are any of the district’s gyms, but the exhaust system cools the air by pulling hot air to the top of the building and then pushing it outside, Shipley said.
“So instead of trying to bring cool air in, you’re trying to suck hot air out,” he said.
Hill Middle School’s upper gym is also getting an upgrade to its air exhaust system over next summer, Shipley said.
The rest of the funds will go toward replacing the boilers at Clow and Springbrook elementary schools, according to Robinson. He said the boilers are original to the schools, which are both over 35 years old.
Typically, boilers last around 20 to 35 years, Robinson said.
“They’re big, they’re bulky, they’re hard to find parts for and the maintenance on them just increases year after year,” he said. “With the 34 buildings we have, it just makes sense to try to replace these on a yearly basis so they don’t all come due at the same time.”
At Clow Elementary, which was built in 1979, two boilers will be removed and replaced with new high-efficiency condensing boilers, according to Robinson. He said that, in addition the boilers themselves, the entire “boiler plant” — including piping and pumps — is being replaced.
The same thing is happening at Springbrook, except that three boilers will be removed and replaced with four, he said.
All of the projects will be started as soon as school is out in summer 2025 and be completed before school starts back up in the fall, Robinson said.
According to Shipley, all the projects to be completed using the recently approved $2.9 million help to work toward the 2023 Facility Assessment and Master Plan’s goals of making the district more sustainable, reducing its operating costs and increasing energy efficiency.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
