October 25, 2024
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Yorkville school board brainstorms potential uses for new 100-acre property

Part of master facilities plan to address spacing issues caused by community growth

By Joey Weslo
The Yorkville School Board 115 on Aug. 24 listens to a presentation by their hired architectural firm, Studio GC, on how to best optimize space in their facilities, included the recently acquired 100-acre property.

The Yorkville School Board 115 on Aug. 24 listens to a presentation by their hired architectural firm, Studio GC, on how to best optimize space in their facilities, included the recently acquired 100-acre property. (Provided by The Yorkville School District 115)

As part of their upcoming master facilities upgrade, the Yorkville School District 115 board hosted a planning workshop to brainstorm ways their newly acquired 100-acre property can best serve the growing district’s needs.

Board members and the district’s newly appointed architectural firm, Studio GC, discussed the property’s potential at the Aug. 24 meeting, including how it fits into the district’s curriculum vision, such as upgrading current facilities to provide extra space and potentially creating new facilities for athletics and arts programs.

The property is located about a quarter-mile west of the current high school campus. The board approved buying the current farmland owned by the Conover family for about $2 million on June 25. The final transaction will take place after a building feasibility study is completed.

“The purchase of the land was a key move by the board, allowing us to plan and have options to address the issues we have of our facilities supporting the community’s growth,” Superintendent Matt Zediker said. “This also provides extra spaces for high-quality staff. I think it’s going to be a win-win for the students, staff and the community.”

Zediker said potential uses range from a new school building, expanded classroom or extracurricular space, to a potential fine arts auditorium for musical performances, or even an athletics field house. Every building is running out of space, he said.

“Art rooms and band rooms are currently combined. An old teacher’s lounge was converted into an extra classroom,” Zediker said. “Overall we have a need across the district for updated facilities.”

Zediker said as the district addresses the needs of all the district’s current buildings, it will continuously seek community feedback, board and staff input, and student feedback. He said while examining potential costs, they will demonstrate to the community how each building’s needs will evolve over the next couple decades with the growing community.

According to Illinois school code, a public referendum is required to formally approve any new buildings. To keep the community informed, the district is creating a dedicated section on its website providing planning updates.

Zediker said the board also will study the district’s attendance boundaries to make sure going into the future they have facilities in the places receiving the highest growth rates. They will study the number of students and staff in each school building to assess where space expansion is the highest priority and what new facilities can address their current needs.

As part of their plans to optimize spacing, Zediker said they might even consider altering how they currently separate students by grade to better balance each school building.

Throughout the planning process, the board will continue evaluating the community’s demographic and growth trends so they can plan ahead for any future dynamic challenges.