Supply Chain Council of European Union | Scceu.org
Distribution

What to know about Springfield District 186’s school consolidation plan

The Springfield School District 186 board of education will hold the first of three public meetings today on a proposal to build a new school building that would explore the consolidation of three elementary schools: Hazel Dell, Laketown and Southern View.

The consolidation of Hazel Dell and Laketown was part of Our Schools Our Future, the facilities master plan dating back to 2017. Southern View entered the conversation as part of the proposal when architects started taking a look at the building to consider updating some construction at the building, according to School District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill.

At its March 21 board meeting, Micah Miller of Subdistrict 2 requested a feasibility study for the construction of a building on the current Laketown site, taking in Hazel Dell and Laketown schools.

Site analysis

An eight-page guideline on the District 186 website includes a “site analysis” done by BLDD Architects, which has offices in Springfield and Decatur, of all three schools. 

Additionally, Gill pointed out at the March 21 meeting the “structural deficiencies” that would have to be addressed at each school.

The site analysis concluded that Laketown’s current location, which sits on 3.4 acres, couldn’t accommodate a student load larger than its current size. Building a new school at the site would create “long-term challenges for residents,” the analysis concluded.

Hazel Dell has “several characteristics” that make it “a less desirable school site long term,” the analysis stated. Its “remote location” for students in the attendance boundary is also an inhibitor.

The analysis pointed out that Southern View’s physical site is site is narrow and bounded by retail and residential properties on three sides. The main core of Southern View, Gill noted, dates from the 1930s.

11th Street property

According to the guideline, a 13.2-acre site on 11th Street that is being considered has “the highest potential for a new school facility” that would serve about 450 students.

The district does not currently own the property.

The property is the former site of H.D. Smith Co.’s corporate office. H.D. Smith was a privately held pharmaceutical wholesaler based in Springfield before being acquired by AmerisourceBergen in 2018. That property was not part of the acquisition.

Years ago, it was the site of Fiatallis, which left Springfield in 1985.

The property “could allow expansion of both the facility and the outdoor program areas,” according to the guideline.

It also talks about the proximity of the site to the center of the student population of Hazel Dell, Laketown and Southern View.

Enrollment

Gill cited enrollment decreases at all three schools. Southern View is the largest of the three schools with 169 students. Both Hazel Dell and Laketown have around 150 students each.

When are the public hearings? 

Here are details of the three public hearings:

  • Hazel Dell Elementary, 850 West Lake Shore Drive, 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29;
  • Southern View Elementary, 3338 S. Fifth St., 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 6;
  • Laketown Elementary School, 1825 Lee St., 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 12.

According to a District 186 spokeswoman, the public hearings will not be livestreamed.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, [email protected], twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

Related posts

IBM, KPMG, Merck and Walmart form blockchain-based Pharmaceutical Utility Network

scceu

Free meal distribution sites for LCPS, FYI and Roadrunner Food Bank

scceu

Ajay Devgn collaborates with YRF for international distribution of Runway 34

scceu