Property For New High School To Be Conveyed Under Ordinance

Mayor Richard M. Daley today introduced an ordinance to designate property for the new Southeast Area High School.

The ordinance by will enable the Public Building Commission, with the Chicago Public Schools, to identify land near 87th Street and Burley Avenue to be set aside for the future development of the new high school.

“Bringing a new high school to a community is a terrific step for the students, because it means they’ll be able to learn in a state-of-the-art facility with wonderful amenities,” said Mayor Daley. “But this new school also will mean new resources that residents of this growing neighborhood can enjoy. The designation of this property is a key step in this process, and we look forward to this process moving forward.”

Preliminary plans call for the new Southeast Area High School to follow a prototype design, bringing to the community a three-story, 200,000 square foot building capable of holding 1,200 students. Besides conventional classrooms, the steel-frame and masonry school would include science and computer laboratories, classrooms for art and music, and athletic facilities.

The school also will feature sustainable design features allowing it to pursue “Silver” level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

Construction of the new school will be overseen by the Public Building Commission of Chicago.  The PBC manages construction and renovation projects for the City of Chicago and its other sister agencies. Mayor Daley serves as the PBC’s chairman. Additional information about the PBC and its projects is available at the agency’s Web site: www.pbcchicago.com.