District 211 schools readying for summer upgrades, closing Schaumburg H.S. until August
With the school year ending next week, Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 is ready to embark on nearly $12 million in major upgrades and routine maintenance for its five campuses over the summer.
Schaumburg and Fremd high schools are due for more extensive work, necessitating the closure of the former to summer school and other activities until August, district officials said.
Some ongoing projects, particularly auditorium and public address system improvements as well as the cooling of applied technology areas, will be funded with $5 million of the $17.7 million the district received in 2020 from the sale of a 62-acre potential school site in Schaumburg. That land now is being developed as the 149-home Summit Grove subdivision.
At Schaumburg High, air conditioning, new LED lighting and new fire sprinklers will be installed in the applied technology classrooms. Several roof areas will be replaced, and the south parking lot and bus drive will be resurfaced with a crosswalk and pedestrian access added for Door 2.
The west parking lot will be seal-coated and re-striped, with crosswalks added. Deteriorated sidewalks, curbs and asphalt paving will be patched or replaced. The school’s football stadium sound system also will be replaced.
Fremd High School in Palatine will undergo a renovation and reconfiguration of its art department. The new area will include 2D and 3D art classrooms, two computer labs, a video studio, recording room and department office. A kiln room, spray booths and display areas also will be provided.
Air-conditioning, new LED lighting and new fire sprinklers will be added in Fremd’s auto and wood shop classrooms. The tennis courts and fencing will be removed and replaced.
Fresh off its 50th anniversary year, Hoffman Estates High School will undergo auditorium improvements. They include replacement of the stage rigging and house lighting, upgrades to the theatrical lighting, installation of accessibility accommodations, a new stage floor and house carpet, and fresh painting.
Conant and Palatine high schools, which underwent extensive work in previous summers, will see repairs to the deteriorated parts of their sidewalks, curbs and asphalt this summer just as at the other three campuses.