District 56 eyes fourth grade school in Gurnee

Community meeting planned Nov. 12

GURNEE -- Gurnee School District 56 officials are talking about replacing flood-prone Gurnee Grade School and building a fourth school.

The district will hold a community meeting on the district's strategic plan regarding facilities from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in the gymnasium at Gurnee Grade School, 940 Kilbourne Road.

Superintendent John Hutton said the district is transitioning from collecting data to implementing the plan.

"The first step is to look at the facilities goals and get public input and the community's ideas on how we might move ahead," Hutton said.

These are the five goals for facilities in the strategic plan:

• Conduct a study to determine the educational need and financial feasibility to construct a fourth building and eliminate the Gurnee Grade School building.

• Collaborate with Warren Township High School District 121 on the feasibility of sharing buses and drivers and constructing a joint transportation center.

• Develop a five-year maintenance plan to repair and upgrade buildings.

• Review and update emergency preparedness and seek ways to improve safety across the district.

• Conduct a feasibility study on relocating the district office.

Hutton said there are a number of issues related to replacing the Gurnee Grade School structure with another elsewhere.

"It's not only the impact flooding has on the educational system," Hutton said about the building at the Des Plaines River. "But the village will be unable to implement its flood mitigation plan until the structure is removed from its current location."

The district owns 70 acres of property on Wadsworth Road west of Green Bay Road that could be used for a replacement building. Other district buildings are Spaulding School, O'Plaine School and Viking Middle School.

Representatives from the district's architectural firm, Fanning and Howey, will be at the Nov. 12 meeting to answer any questions about the five goals.

The proposed transportation center is expected to reduce costs by sharing and reducing the number of buses, Hutton said.

"This will not be a 'sit and get' session for community members," Hutton said. "The idea is for us to hear from our community and to structure a strategic plan that aligns with community values and norms."

This will be the third community meeting on the strategic plan. Hutton said the first two were well received.