After Ceiling Collapse, LTHS Board To Vote On $85 Million Referendum
LOCKPORT, IL — At its meeting on Nov. 20, the Lockport Township High School Board of Education will consider the approval of a resolution regarding school building bonds for the March 2024 election.
The Board will decide whether to approve a resolution “providing for and requiring the submission of the proposition of issuing school building bonds to the voters of the District at the general primary election to be held on the 19th day of March, 2024,” according to the agenda.
This agenda item comes after a classroom ceiling collapsed at LTHS Central campus. The aftermath of the collapse has caused the school to be closed for an indeterminate amount of time, and freshmen students are currently housed at Lincoln-Way North High School in Frankfort.
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Prior to the ceiling collapse, LTHS had been discussing renovating and preserving the 100-plus-year-old building.
“Over the past two years, our district has been working to address an issue that we have faced for almost 20 years,” according to the Board agenda.
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The District has tried referenda several times in the past, with the solution of building a new high school building in Homer Glen. Those referenda were rejected in 2006, 2007, twice in 2008, 2009 and in 2011, according to the Board agenda.
The current proposal does not focus on a new building in Homer Glen, but focuses on renovation of LTHS Central campus. The estimated cost of the proposal is $85 million.
“It attempts to fully utilize space at Central Campus through renovation, and it provides the community with something one cannot find in our area, but many high schools with they had a dedicated freshman center,” the agenda states.
The exact proposition that would be submitted to voters is:
“Shall the Board of Education of Lockport Township High School District Number 205, Will County, Illinois, alter, repair, renovate, equip and improve the site of the Lockport Township High School Central Campus, including preserving and protecting the exterior of the building, Veterans Foyer and main gym, replacing and improving HVAC and major mechanical systems, renovating and updating instructional areas and classrooms and improving accessibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $85,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?
The Board will meet at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 at East Campus, 1333 E. Seventh St.
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