Haines Middle School in St. Charles to get a new name

ST. CHARLES – The former Haines Middle School will be renamed the Haines Center.

"We should be honoring the man whose name was on the building to begin with," board member Ed McNally said during the April 27 meeting of the School Board's Business Services committee.

During the meeting, board members voiced support of the change, which would take effect during the 2020-2021 school year. The full board is set to vote on the name change at its May 11 meeting.

Haines was the first major benefactor of the public schools in St. Charles. He donated the property on which four schools and an administrative center have been built and established a trust fund which helped the schools get through the depression and continued to provide funds for projects into the late '90s, according to information from the district.

The former middle school, which closed last year, is getting a second life. The St. Charles Park District is now leasing space in the building at 305 S. 9th St.

The library had been expected to open in the building in April as work proceeds on a $18.6 million renovation project of its campus at One S. 6th Ave., which is scheduled to be finished in summer 2021. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has pushed back the planned opening of the library.

A $4.2 million project to repurpose the building also includes creating space for the district's transition program, which offers services for special needs students ages 18 to 22 to prepare them for life as an independent adult.

The transition program is moving into the space previously used as the school's cafeteria and the NorthEast Academy alternative program also would move into the building. The Academy will be a personalized and responsive learning high school environment that allows for flexibility, offering multiple modalities for learning in self-selected pathways that prepare students for college

The project also includes making mechanical upgrades and replacing portions of the building's roof. Originally set for completion in early July, the project is about one month ahead of schedule and now could be done by late May or early June.

"We are making significant progress," Seth Chapman, the district's assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer, told board members. "What a great resource this is going to be when it is all said and done."

The two-story wing on the front of the building was razed in January as part of the project's first phase.