We are pleased that the District 200 school board has voted to go forward with a vibrant plan for investing in the future of excellence at Oak Park and River Forest High School. The decision to build a new 40-meter pool, a new parking garage, and performing arts classroom spaces represents an exciting step forward for our students and communities.
By building one larger pool, this plan addresses the needs of P.E. and the seven aquatics teams at the high school. As we saw in Athletic Director Stelzer’s testimony to the board on July 28, one 40-meter pool has significant efficiencies over two smaller pools in ways that are qualitatively important. It allows for consolidation of support facilities. It is more efficient for P.E. classes and their instructors. It better supports existing aquatics in a way that will help students with their athletic achievement (for example, a chance for JV teams to practice alongside, and learn from, varsity teams). Importantly, it supports athletes in balancing athletics with academics as practices can end earlier. A 40-meter pool is more comparable to our peer institutions, such as York and Lyons Township in our own conference.
This plan also meets the needs of vibrant and growing performing arts programs already straining for space. Performing arts enrollment is up by 27% and growing such that almost 1,100 students are enrolled in 37 sections of performing arts classes. That equates to one-third of the school’s population! Long Term Facilities Plan (LTFP) B will help create spaces for five curricular bands with 80 students, a 130-student marching band, chorus and three orchestras. These represent great investments in OPRF’s future.
While some would ask why the parking garage should be torn down and re-built in LTFP B, we argue that the existing garage is taking up too much space on our space-limited campus. That a previous board built a garage with a footprint too big for our campus shouldn’t determine the next 50 years of the building’s future. While it is important to meet the parking and transportation needs of the school and its surrounding neighborhood, the garage shouldn’t drive the decisions that guide academics and extracurriculars for our students. Especially when we can still provide for parking needs with a new garage that also accommodates the critical larger needs of the school. LTFP B creates flexibility and opportunity in the south end of the building now and for the next 50 years, a valuable asset for adapting to changing educational needs.
Because the referendum question is about more than just replacing failing pools, we are changing our name to Vote Yes D200 Referendum Committee. Anyone interested in joining our efforts to work to educate citizens of River Forest & Oak Park about the state of OPRF High School facilities, and how/why this plan is needed, are invited to join us. Please email us at voteyesd200@gmail.com.
We thank the board for their decision to act on LTFP B. We also look forward to work by the board and administration to further refine the project cost and financing and their efforts to expand community use of the planned pool facilities.
Wayne Franklin, Matt Kosterman, Ellen Pimentel, Mary Roberts, Peter Ryan, Karen Steward-Nolan
Vote Yes D200 Referendum Committee