Overview

In February 2024, the district met with the Steering Committee and held two community forums to explain the process being used for the Districtwide Facilities Master Plan (DWFMP). These initial meetings focused on receiving input from the participants regarding a site for the Park Forest Middle School project.

In April 2024, the architects, Crabtree Rohrbaugh and Associates, provided a facility assessment. This assessment will help to prioritize capital investment in district buildings for the next five to ten years. Next steps will be developing a budget for the identified facility projects and prioritizing a completion schedule.

In September 2023, the administration recommended moving forward with a Districtwide Facilities Master Plan (DWFMP). The DWFMP is expected to lead to a school project at the Park Forest Middle School as well as athletics/playgrounds, sustainability initiatives, and overall capital facility, lifecycle, and deferred maintenance projects.

The DWFMP will identify facilities including athletics/playgrounds needs based upon instructional and operational goals in the future as connected to the strategic plan. The process focuses on three areas:

• The instructional phase will evaluate district buildings’ and facilities’ physical condition and capacity, enrollment projections and educational programs primarily at the middle level.

• The operational phase will cover sustainability, transportation operations and security. This may include a greenhouse gas inventory as well as a systematic review for operational and maintenance modifications and improvements. The security evaluation may include operational as well as facility considerations.

• The athletics/playground phase will evaluate physical condition, revisit the previous playground study and assess athletic program needs.

The Board of Directors authorized the administration to begin working on the DWFMP and appoint Crabtree Rohrbaugh Associates (Crabtree) for this project. Crabtree was recommended based upon their involvement in the High School/Delta, Corl St., Radio Park, and Spring Creek building projects. 

The DWFMP will include faculty, staff and community involvement for input surrounding facility needs to support our programs. The district’s financial advisor will assist in preparing a financial capacity analysis for the DWFMP. Financial capacity will have an impact on the final design and implementation of the DWFMP, which ultimately will be subject to Board approval.

The administration along with the architect will begin the planning process, including a timeline for work sessions, presentations, and opportunities for stakeholder involvement. Stakeholder involvement will include employees, the CAC's for facilities and finance, and community members.