District presenter details safety, HVAC and overcrowding needs at Emerson Middle School

A district staff member presenting Park Ridge CCSD 64's master facilities plan said the district has spent months with architects, engineers and community members outlining upgrades needed to "protect our buildings, protect our children, and preserve our future." "This plan is not just a document, but a roadmap," the presenter said.

The presentation identified Emerson and Lincoln middle schools as priority sites, with Emerson singled out for multiple immediate safety and infrastructure repairs. The presenter said Emerson "needs all new interior doors," noting that some classroom doors require staff to take a key outside the room to lock them — a setup that does not meet current industry standards. The district estimated that redoing interior doors and frames across the district would cost about $2.5 million.

The presenter described Emerson's HVAC systems as at the end of their lifespans, with recurring failures of boiler components. "When looking at just Emerson, on average, we spend $63,061 a year on HVAC calls," the presenter said, and urged replacing units and adding air conditioning in the gym to improve efficiency and student health.

The presentation also flagged life-safety systems: Emerson's fire control panel has been discontinued and parts are harder to obtain, and the building's alarm devices throughout the ceilings also need replacement. The presenter said these systems are at elevated risk of failure because they are at end of life.

District staff recommended replacing the gym bleachers and wall partitions, and repairing the gym floor, where deep scratches and partition wear were documented. The presenter warned that partition panels can weigh about 600 pounds per section and may come off their tracks as they age.

Energy-efficiency measures were included: replacing fluorescent lighting with LEDs was projected to save about $22,590 a year in energy costs. The presenter also criticized classroom layouts and furnishings, noting that many desks, chairs and shelving units date to the 1990s and that science labs and special-education classrooms are cramped or lack uniform prep space. The plan calls for standardizing science labs across grades to increase flexibility and functionality.

The presenter pointed to music-program overcrowding as an example of mismatched facilities and accolades: although the district has won the Best Communities for Music Education award in consecutive years, Emerson's band room currently accommodates more than 70 elementary students practicing and more than 60 Emerson orchestra students at times.

Exterior concerns included a foundation issue at the gym entrance where heavy rain floods and soaks carpet, plus two previously vandalized exterior restrooms that were closed and remain unused. The presenter calculated roughly $85,651 a year in "wasted costs" tied to aging systems and warned the figure will increase as systems continue to deteriorate.

Details of the proposal and supporting materials are available on the district website at d64.org/2024proposal. The presenter closed by reiterating the plan's guiding priorities: protect buildings, protect children and preserve the future. No formal vote or action on funding was recorded in the presentation.