The Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board approved a $10.8 million bid package for a cafeteria renovation and associated work at Libertyville High School.
Courtesy of Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128
More than a year after emerging as a top capital project, the outdated cafeteria and adjoining areas at Libertyville High School will get a major upgrade although what had been considered an innovative element was dropped.
School officials this week approved three bids totaling $10.8 million for the cafeteria, bathrooms and related work.
However, “learning stairs,” with a projected cost of $1.3 million, was removed from the package by the Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board as an element of the overall project.
The stairs would have opened to the school lobby and served as a general gathering space and cafeteria overflow. But board members agreed to save the cost as the project already was above initial estimates.
Without the stairs, the overall cost of the project, including construction, design, management, furniture, technology, asbestos abatement and other expenses is estimated at $16.3 million. The initial estimate was $13 million but upgrades to the quad area bathrooms were later added.
The Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board soon will seek bids for a major renovation of the cafeteria at Libertyville High School.
Courtesy of Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128
An upgrade of the 1950s-era cafeteria has been discussed for years. The project made it to the top of the capital to-do list and conceptual designs and initial estimates were presented a year ago.
The project involves renovating the cafeteria bathrooms, kitchen, servery, and faculty and student dining areas, according to Dan Stanley, assistant superintendent for business.
A key aspect is enclosing an adjoining courtyard to expand student dining space. Four extra bathroom renovations (the quad bathrooms) were not part of the original design but added later to leverage economies of scale, he added.
Demolition is expected to begin in November with completion expected in August 2025.
Board President Lisa Hessel said the learning stairs would have been “nice to have” but would rather bank the money as part of the district’s fund balance — the amount available as cash for various projects.
District policy requires that at least 25% of overall operating funds be available at the end of a given fiscal year. Anything over that amount is available to spend as needed for projects such as to cover unexpected cost increases.
“This project is costing more than we thought almost every step of the way,” Stanley explained before the board voted on the bids. “You have the fund balance to pay for it.”
Even with the learning stairs included, the fund balance would be $600,000, he added.
Hessel said the learning stairs would be “nice to have” but would prefer to have a higher fund balance The stairs didn’t have enough of a tie to student learning to include at this point, she added.
Others agreed it was best to keep a higher fund balance.
“It seems like a luxury item,” board member Cara Benjamin said of the learning stairs.