On Monday, Indian Prairie School District 204’s school board approved a $2.3 million LED lighting upgrade project at three district schools.
Crone Middle School, Scullen Middle School and Brookdale Elementary School, all in Naperville, will be getting their fluorescent fixtures replaced with LED ones, per Monday’s meeting agenda.
The lighting work at Crone, Scullen and Brookdale is set to begin in the fall, the district’s chief school business official Matthew Shipley told The Beacon-News on Tuesday. It will be completed on second shift after school hours and won’t affect school operations.
In a memo to the board and district Superintendent Adrian Talley, District 204 Director of Building Operations John Robinson said that the new fixtures will lower the district’s energy bills and qualify for a minimum of $60,000 in utility rebates.
In March, the district approved LED fixture replacements at Metea Valley High School and Fischer, Granger and Still middle schools that are set to be completed over the summer, according to past reporting.
On Monday, the board also approved building permits for summer HVAC work, per the meeting agenda, the hiring of two construction management firms for major renovations going on at Waubonsie Valley High School and Neuqua Valley High School and an updated contract with architect Wight & Co. for the Waubonsie and Neuqua projects.
These renovation updates add to the growing list of the district’s upcoming capital projects — like a $7.6 million auditorium renovation at Waubonsie in Aurora, secure entryways at 11 district elementary schools and flooring replacements and paving work at schools across the district.
Indian Prairie is undergoing major capital work as a result of the passage of a referendum question in November, in which voters approved the district’s proposal to sell $420 million in bonds for facility upgrades, according to past reporting.
The bonds will be issued through 2029 for projects through 2032, Shipley previously said. But after those funds are used up, the district will need to find a way to generate funding for capital projects while they’re paying off the bond issuances, Shipley reiterated in a presentation on Monday about the district’s budget for next year.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the district swore in its returning board members, who were reelected by voters on April 1. Current board President Laurie Donahue, who was reelected in April, was again selected by the school board as president. Current board Secretary Supna Jain was chosen to be vice president by the board, and board member Allison Fosdick was selected as the board secretary.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
