Almost 10 weeks into the massive interior demolition and rebuilding of a portion of Oak Park and River Forest High School, construction is moving along and going according to plan, said district officials.
“There have been little hiccups here and there but nothing major,” said Anthony Arbogast, assistant superintendent for business services at OPRF, describing the $100 million Phase 2 of the school’s ongoing renovations. “You almost have to anticipate you are going to find some things or do more investigation but from where we are at, we are extremely pleased with the work this summer.”
While Arbogast said that from the outside of the school’s physical education plant on the southeast corner of the main building on Scoville Avenue it might not seem like a lot of impact has been made, inside is a different story.
“When you are inside the building, especially in the construction area, you look and it’s like ‘how did they get so much done in such a short period of time?’” Arbogast said.
Arbogast attributes this success to great communication between the district, contractors and subcontractors.
“It may visually this summer appear that it moved slowly but inside it is going at warp speed,” Arbogast said.
The first official day of work on the project was Tuesday, May 28, said Arbogast. But the high school held a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the project on June 4, welcoming community members for the celebration.
With “no major hiccups or delays,” according to Arbogast, the project is running on schedule, with a focus on selective demolition and reworking of the mechanical systems to ensure the rest of the school can operate normally once the 2024-25 school year begins.
“This summer is a lot about getting the interior demolition done,” he said.
According to Arbogast, the project breakdown will begin with demolition and be followed by foundations, structure, exterior facade and buildout. An old Nicor gas line also needed to be removed.
Additionally, Arbogast said a “connecting project,” installing a geothermal heating and cooling system, has also begun. The new system, which is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 442,500 pounds each year, was approved by the board of education in January.
According to previous reports by Wednesday Journal, the geothermal system is projected to save OPRF approximately 18% in annual energy savings compared to a natural gas boiler system.
Focused on building a new physical education wing, the replacement wing will include all-gender locker rooms, performing arts dressing rooms, weight room, boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, multi-use gyms, and a 25-yard x 40-yard pool and spectator balcony among other amenities.
The project was designed by FGM architects and construction is managed by Gilbane Building Company, one of the largest construction management firms in the country. According to previous reports, OPRF approved a nearly $6 million contract with Gilbane back in September 2023.
According to the district’s Project 2 Dashboard, which breaks down the cost of the project by the different packages, the demolition portion was $1,473,200.
According to the breakdown of the big package, the largest allocation of funds will be dedicated to a mechanical package, at $15,782,000.
The total approved bid for the project was $101,899,817.
How do PE classes and sports continue?
Due to ongoing construction, school officials needed to accommodate returning students and faculty to allow physical education and sports to continue this fall.
To help facilitate students’ participation in gym classes, the following facilities will accommodate the classes affected by construction:
Fieldhouse
1W Gym
Monogram Room
Fitness center
Rehearsal room
Climbing gym
Wrestling room
Stadium
West pool
South cafeteria
Second floor south hallway
Third floor hallway outside the Student Resource Center
Track and multipurpose field
Stadium
Tennis courts
Ridgeland Common fields
Lake Street multipurpose fields
Locker rooms will also be reassigned to let freshman and sophomore girls use the current sophomore boys’ room as students will still be required to dress daily for PE class.
Additionally, according to district administration, the athletics department will continue to offer programming for all 31 sports with no reduction of athletic opportunities. However, some off-campus facilities will be used for training and competition including space at River Forest School District 90, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, the Park District of Oak Park, Triton College, and Riverside Brookfield High School among others.
Arbogast said “years of planning” has gone into ensuring students would still receive a quality PE experience. This includes an emphasis on scheduling and communication to ensure there is enough space for classes and athletics.
“Gym classes will be impacted without a doubt,” Arbogast said. “But our physical education department has done a great job of planning around our other available spaces for PE.”
According to Arbogast, outside demolition is set to begin Friday, Aug. 2.
Classes will begin at OPRF on Thursday, Aug. 15.