2/10/2009
Construction of two new elementary schools is expected to begin within weeks after the Public Building Commission of Chicago’s Board of Commissioners approved a pair of construction contracts.
The new schools will be Lee Pasteur Hurley Area Elementary School, to be built at 4707 W. Marquette Road, and Boone Clinton Area Elementary School, to be located at 6700 N. Whipple Street.
Lee Pasteur Hurley is an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation and shared resources. The $22.9 million school and surrounding park has been designed to mutually benefit school-age children and Park District patrons. This shared use facility will feature a Park District office to coordinate programming, with a new concession stand and equipment storage space also planned. The site also will be completely regraded for more efficient stormwater management, so that upon completion, the ground’s five new baseball fields and nature trail will better withstand rainfall.
Boone Clinton Area Elementary School, meanwhile, will be built on land designated by the Board of Education in 2001. Recently funding for construction of the $23.3 million school was made was available through the Modern Schools Across Chicago plan. The location will allow the new school to relieve overcrowding at multiple institutions in the area.
Both of the new schools will follow a prototype design, offering 105,000 square feet in three-story, steel frame and masonry structures. Intended for 900 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, the schools will feature a variety of classrooms, including computer and science laboratories, a music classroom with acoustical treatment and an art studio with a kiln room. The schools also will have a library/media center, a gymnasium, dining facilities, an outdoor playground and landscaped area for recess.
The schools will feature a variety of environmentally-friendly features – such as green roofs, recycled materials and fixtures to ensure water use efficiency – and are expected to receive “Silver” level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Both are projected to open to students in the fall of 2010.
The PBC Board today approved the selection of the The George Sollitt Construction Co. to build the new Lee Pasteur Hurley Area Elementary School. The company submitted the lowest of nine qualified bids to receive the contract and committed to approximately 24 percent Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) and 4 percent Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) participation.
The George Sollitt/Oakley Construction Joint Venture submitted the lowest of 10 qualified bids to build the new Boone Clinton Area Elementary School. The joint venture committed to 25 percent Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) and 4 percent Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) participation.
The PBC manages construction and renovation projects for the City of Chicago and its other sister agencies. Mayor Richard M. 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.
