Built as the administrative headquarters for Loyola University Medical Center, the Proviso Math and Science Academy has always felt sort of shoe-horned into a structure built for another purpose.
Nowhere was that more apparent than the sea of asphalt that has always surrounded the edifice at 1st Avenue and Roosevelt Road. Loyola apparently had a lot of high-priced execs and administrative assistants because north and east of the main structure it was parking and more parking.
High school students at PMSA looking to play intramural or team sports were shipped up 1st Avenue to the campus at East in Maywood. This did not exactly build camaraderie on the Forest Park campus.
Now, as part of Phase One of a long-overdue master facilities plan for the three campuses that make up the District 209 Proviso Township High Schools, PMSA’s outside areas will get a reshaping starting this summer.
With presumed approval this spring from the Forest Park Village Council, athletic fields will replace a great deal of the asphalt lot at PMSA and the not-quite 200 parking spaces that remain will be rebuilt. Playing fields will be added at the eastern edge of the parcel and on the northern edge closest to 1st Avenue.
Additionally, auto access to the campus from the two main streets will be improved to lessen congestion and promote safety.
We’re pleased to see this investment in PMSA.
