PEKIN, Ill. – Numerous projects are being planned for this summer at Pekin High School.
Superintendent Danielle Owens recently laid out what work will be done at the school.
Owens say the biggest project will be completion of the two-year project to improve the canopy area in the school’s main entrance. Completed work includes removing student lockers, removing asbestos from office areas, and renovating the principal’s office. The work this summer will include a vestibule double door area, an enveloped student commons area with conference rooms and open seating, and better lighting.
The price tag of that project is around $4.8 million dollars. Owens said the project will aim to improve safety at the school, and try to reduce the amount of people who come in and out of the school for minor reasons.
“A lot of our traffic, of course, is coming from parents during the day who’s kid forget something, or they need to buy a ticket to the play, or whatever,” Owens said. “All of that can now be handled then now in our vestibule area without buzzing parents completely into the building.”
Owens said the other big project is renovations to the weight room and Hawkins Gym. Work on that will include new weight room equipment and moving the cardio equipment to a different part of the building. The gym will have a redone floor and new bleachers, of which Owens said were original to the gym when it was built in 1963. She estimates the price tag for that will be just under $2 million dollars.
Smaller projects include roofing and HAVC work on the high school building, and lights for the baseball, softball, and soccer fields.
Owens said the district was able to tackle these projects because COVID funds allowed to district to reallocate where money from a previously approved bond went.
“In terms of having some projects planned at the right time, and an influx of cash coming in. So we were able to actually spent the money on these projects without dipping into reserves, or cash balances, or any type of referendum situation. So it’s been a pretty good scenario,” Owens said.
Most of the projects are scheduled to begin when the school year ends on May 26th and be completed by the time students return in mid-August.
