Important numbers and dates:
$31.3 million: The amount of money Urbana voters approved to build new school buildings in November, 2014.
$68.2 million: The approximant cost of constructing a new the elementary school and new high school in Urbana.
March, 2018: The month officials hope to move high school students into their new school building.
The school district here is closer to the start of constructing a new building than it has been in several decades.
But first, Superintendent Charles Theil said crews are preparing to tear down the east academic building on the school’s campus.
“There is some activity on site,” Theil said of the high school project. “The contractor has gone through and removed all the asbestos materials out of the building so the windows are removed to get that process done and shortly we will begin the process of completing a construction fence.
“Within the next couple of weeks we will have a construction fence up and they … sometime after Labor Day, they will begin (demolition) of the building,” Theil said.
The construction project garnered support from community in 2014 when Urbana passed a $31.6 million school levy. However, the project has faced criticism from some who want to preserve the history of the school building. Many wanted to school to save “The Castle”, a part of the school building shaped like a castle that has been an iconic part of the community for many years.
Also, construction of a new elementary school building is in the works. Officials said they are continuing to work to settle on a location for that building.
The total cost of the project is expected to be around $68 million.
Theil said officials have worked hard and have adjusted plans to satisfy everyone involved. He said there is a lot anticipation for the high school project to finally get off the ground.
“It has been a long time coming,” Theil said. “It has been something that has been needed for a long time in our school district. We got a report back in 1964 about how we need to do something with our schools.”
Final details as to how the Urbana City Schools will cope with 18 months of construction around its high school have been worked out. Plans are to move into the new building during spring break of 2018.
Classrooms for students have been moved around so the east building can be torn down and soon a student parking lot will be closed. Student parking will be limited to street parking only, according to Theil.
He said the adjustments are not ideal but he believes the district is handling the changes well.
“In order to have a brand new, 88,000-square-foot building on an occupied site, it is going to cause some issues and some disturbances,” Theil said. “I think that is a sacrifice we have to make in order to have the eventuality of having a brand new building to support our schools and our students.”
Neighbor Ken Wright, who lives behind the school and close to the soon-to-closed parking lot, said the inconvenience is minor.
“To make an omelette you have to break an egg,” Wright said. “It’s kind of funny when you think about kids driving to school, it’s kind of a first world problem … not having a parking lot.”
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