District 205 is considering a trio of construction projects that would include a new high school wrestling facility and the demolition of a vacant elementary school to make room for additional parking near the athletic field house and baseball complex.
On Monday, the District 205 Board of Education will consider a proposal to have Legat Architects provide professional architectural services for the following projects:
- A new 6,500 square foot, pre-engineered metal building for high school and junior high wrestling teams. The practice-only facility would be located near Wicall Gym and east of Thiel Gym.
- Demolition of the existing Gale Elementary School north of GHS. The school closed in 2021.
- Add a 100-car parking lot adjacent to the baseball complex.
District officials are listing budget parameters as $1.5 million for the wrestling building; $250,000 to $300,000 to demolish Gale School; and $250,000 for the parking lot.
Silver Streaks wrestling teams at all levels currently use the gymnasium at Gale School as its practice facility.
John Asplund, District 205 superintendent of Schools, tells WGIL, “To be clear, all we’re really looking at for now is permission from the board for the architects to draw up plans and look at the proposals more closely.
“We are looking at the possibility of constructing a wrestling building, likely over near Wicall (Gym). But again, this is the beginning point and nothing is set in stone.”
Asplund said concerns over a lack of parking near Sundberg Field prompted the district to explore options for additional parking.
“And a parking lot isn’t necessarily the reason to knock down Gale, but at some point we don’t really have a lot of uses left for the building, so there’s no point in keeping it up,” he said.
“Because we have students in Gale, it would require some health life safety improvements, and we believe those monies could be better spent on a brand new facility for wrestling only.”
If District 205 proceeds with the plan, the fees paid to Legat Architects would be 9.4% of the cost of the project. If the project does not happen, the district would pay Legate an hourly rate for the drawings.
Gale School opened as a middle school for grades 4-6 in 1968. In addition to the gym being used as a wrestling practice facility, the rest of the building is currently being utilized for storage.
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November 13, 2023 at 06:01PM
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Coming down and going up? D205 considers demo of school, building new athletic facility - WGIL Radio News
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