Mayor Daley Marks New Day For Brighton Park Elementary School

Mayor Richard M. Daley joined Aldermen George Cardenas (12th Ward), CEO of Chicago Public Schools Ron Huberman and Executive Director of the Public Building Commission Erin Lavin Cabonargi today at a ground breaking ceremony to commence the construction of the new Brighton Park I Elementary School at 3456 W. 38th Street.

“There is no higher priority in the City of Chicago than our children and our schools, and that’s why we’re working to bring new schools like this one to Chicago’s communities,” said Mayor Daley. “Brighton Park Elementary School will help with our growing CPS population while providing a quality education for nearly nine hundred neighborhood children.”

Expected to open in the fall of 2010, the new school will serve approximately 900 students between pre-Kindergarten and 8th grade. Along with classrooms and science and computer labs, the school will feature art and music classrooms, a gymnasium a kitchen and dining facilities, multipurpose rooms and a complete building automation system. The building’s design targets a “Silver” level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard.

“On behalf of our Commissioners and our client, the Chicago Public Schools, we are proud to assist in the development of this new school,” the PBC’s Lavin Cabonargi said. “I am particularly inspired by their leadership and collective vision to invest in capital construction that will benefit not only the students but the community at large. The construction will bring much needed academic amenities. Further, the development embraces our Commission’s commitment to economic sustainability and environmental stewardship to help generations to come.”

The new school is one of five expected to open in fall of 2010, following five others that will open on the first day of school this September.  The construction of so many new schools is reflective of the City’s commitment to education.

“The completion of this project will provide a welcome and much-needed neighborhood school for our growing Southwest Side student population,” Huberman said. “The state-of-the-art facilities that are featured in this school, and others like it that are part of the Mayor’s Modern Schools Across Chicago program, give a great boost to the educational opportunities available to our school children.”