District 209 has been making progress on phase 1 of its Facility Master Plan. All three D209 schools, Proviso East, Proviso West and Proviso Math and Science Academy (PMSA), are undergoing extensive renovations.
At East, construction is on schedule and within budget, according to the district. The $6.5 million project is 60 percent complete and includes a culinary class lab and demonstration kitchen, equipped with industry-grade appliances and a complete dishwashing area for sanitizing utensils. The Culinary Arts Labs will be the training ground for students interested in a career in the hospitality industry.
Proviso East is also relocating the student parking lot to the campus so students won’t need to cross First Avenue. The lot will include parking for students and a dedicated drop-off and pick-up area for families.
The current parking lot on First Avenue and Warren Street will be transformed into a green space with a walking track, open to the community.
“Life safety” improvements include door and door hardware upgrades, hot water storage tank replacement, and tempered glass replacement.
At Proviso West, the $7.5 million project is on schedule and within budget, according to the district. The new Advanced Manufacturing Lab is 60 percent complete. It will feature state of the art manual and computer-controlled milling and manufacturing machinery.
Fieldhouse improvements include replacing wall panels. The Proviso West north parking lot received a surface overlay, new entrance and exit signage, and new parking lot striping.
PMSA, however, has seen some delays in its $2.4 million parking lot reconstruction project. At the end of April, Paul Starck-King, assistant superintendent of finance and operations at D209, said the district hoped to see the project completed before the potential start of school in August.
Forest Park village approval for the project was provided in June, but the project was delayed, according to the district, “because of a regulatory review by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD). The review was focused on stormwater management for the site and required additional modifications to the project.”
The district said that MWRD review is finished and once a bid is awarded the project will begin. Construction is now anticipated to begin in mid-August and be completed in mid-December.
The PMSA parking lot reconstruction will replace the current lot with an environmentally friendly student parking lot featuring permeable pavers and dedicated drop-off and pick-up lanes. Congestion from the First Avenue entrance will be reduced. New green space will provide a space for outdoor physical education without students having to cross Roosevelt Road to use the forest preserve across the street.
Phase one of the D209 Facility Master Plan includes a total of approximately $5.4 million in renovations at PMSA, $47.7 million at Proviso East, and $23.9 million at Proviso West.
