Published November 7, 2024
Elk Grove High School has celebrated exciting changes recently, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a sparkling new culinary arts lab and students benefiting from an updated student services area. Meanwhile, Buffalo Grove High School’s athletic fields, long plagued by drainage problems, are being upgraded and improved, creating a vastly improved experience for students and fans alike.
Both projects reflect District 214’s commitment to updating spaces for student learning and activities while also acting as responsible stewards of the community’s financial investment in its schools. Both also represent the first stages of work that will continue throughout the District over the next decade.
Knowing that school buildings ranging in age from 51 to 67 years inevitably require attention, the District is ensuring that facilities are maintained, repaired and updated in ways that serve students and the community for decades to come.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Rowe explains the need: “Buffalo Grove High School is our youngest building at 51 years old. Much of the original mechanics remain at many of our other buildings. I share that detail because it is a testament to the people who work in D214 that we take great pride in our facilities and our Central Maintenance Team does an excellent job maintaining our equipment. That being said, our team can only manage things for so long.”
Working with inspectors, architects, construction management experts, and specialists in mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, District 214’s Operations Department has conducted comprehensive assessments of all facilities. Everything – from lighting, fencing, and parking lots to flooring, roofing, boilers and chillers has been assessed in painstaking detail. The same is true for everything from tennis courts and storage sheds and science classrooms to theater curtains. And much, much more.
At each step, the District and its partners evaluate current conditions, identify life safety items requiring attention, and incorporate building and grounds needs. All this work serves to establish priorities and build a long-range management plan and an accompanying budget for the coming decade.
On its website and elsewhere, District 214 will provide updates and information for community members throughout this undertaking.
