Oswego School District 308 wants to redevelop former junior high school into sports facility

Oswego School District 308 is taking requests for proposals to redevelop the former Traughber Junior High School at 61 Franklin St. in Oswego into a multi-use sports facility.

“Demand for multi-use sports facilities and event spaces have increased tremendously over the past five years,” the district said in its RFP, which is posted on the district’s website. “Keying off the interplay between the arts, education, extra-curricular activities and community outreach while recognizing an unmet demand for a versatile indoor sports and exhibition space, District 308 is creating a vision for a multi-use complex for its community.”

The district plans to make the facilities available to students when school is in session and for local community members at night.

Oswego school board member Jennifer Johnson spoke about the RFP during Monday’s school board meeting.

“We encourage everyone to take a look at it and forward that information on to any developers you might know and that want to collaborate with us to take some of this unused land and put it to good use for the benefit of our students and our community,” she said.

District officials hope to choose a developer by next spring. As explained in the RFP, the district’s vision for the project is to develop a public/private partnership to develop multi-use facilities “to meet the needs of our students while being fiscally responsible.”

“The combined effort between public and private entities will provide services to all [District 308] stakeholders,” according to the RFP.

The developer would be expected to coordinate design and construction with the district to ensure that the proposed project matches the district’s redevelopment goals.

The building currently serves as a district storage facility and is also a satellite location for the Kendall County Community Food Pantry. The food pantry, which operates once a month, has provided canned/non-perishable food items, as well as produce and bread, to families living within the District 308 attendance area.

The nonprofit organization Community Cares also uses space in the building to provide assistance to children and families, such as making sure families have the school supplies they need before students return to the classroom in the fall.