DeKalb School District 428 construction begins for Beyond One Barb Transition Center

DeKALB – The new site of the Beyond One Barb Transition Center is in need of sprucing up, and DeKalb school is getting after it.

DeKalb School District 428 joined staff and community partners Aug. 9 to mark the start of facility renovations by hosting a construction kickoff at 530 Charter St., DeKalb.

The transition program is dedicated to serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 18 to 22. The program has been based out of DeKalb High School for years, but is expected to have a new location on Charter Street come January 2025.

Superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez said she realizes how much closer the district is to helping students to exercise their autonomy and their independence.

“This building symbolizes a bridge from being a child, a student to becoming an adult in a way that is more supportive for our youngsters of [ages] 18 to 22. It will help build their self-efficacy,” Garcia-Sanchez said. “It will make them be a stronger individual when they go out to take on the courage that they need to get a job or to be independent in town or further out.”

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DeKalb School District 428 Superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez gets loose before taking a ceremonial swing into the drywall Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, during the Beyond One Barb Transition Center Construction Kick-Off event at the new site at 530 Charter St. in DeKalb. (Mark Busch)

Once the interior is gutted, the district has to prepare the building to meet the program’s needs.

District officials said furnishings and appliances have been chosen to meet requirements set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensure accessibility for the diverse needs of the program’s students. Bathrooms also are undergoing renovations for the same reason. Most of the work is inside the building, but there will be some exterior improvements to entrances, ramps and parking.

The district said it has a $1.5 million budget for renovating the site of the transition program.

The Beyond One Barb Transition Center was a long time in the making for the district, officials said.

Kyle Gerdes, the district’s director of student services, said things didn’t always seem like they’d pan out this way.

“We looked at many spaces over the many years,” Gerdes said. “We survived a pandemic, which kind of did put a delay into what our plans were.”

Gerdes said he’s excited to embark on this journey.

“There were many times where I think there were roadblocks or challenges presented ... or the timing wasn’t right, but there was always that vision, always that goal, to make this a reality,” he said. “The timing and the people, and here we are.”

The rest is history, Gerdes said.

Garcia-Sanchez said she’s personally moved by what the Beyond One Barb Transition Center means to her.

“As a parent of a child that would have benefitted from a space like this, it is definitely very heartwarming as well,” Garcia-Sanchez said.

Gerdes gave kudos to district staff and community partners for coming out to the event.

“We want that sense of community to be strong and live for a long time,” Gerdes said.

In closing the event, district staff and community partners took turns ceremoniously swinging golden sledge hammers into a wall.