District 186, city officials meet to hash out traffic concerns around SHS
School District 186 administration and designers of a $123 million reconstruction of Springfield High School have met with city officials about potential traffic flow problems that surfaced at a public forum last month.
One immediate issue that's being addressed is the installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and pedestrian signs on Monroe Street from New Street within the next couple of months.
Across town, construction at Spartan Field will mean Southeast High School will move its 2024 home football games to the recently-renovated Memorial Stadium.
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At Lanphier High School, students should be using classrooms in a newly-renovated historic portion of the school when they return from holiday break in January, said Superintendent Jennifer Gill. The school's competition gymnasium and another smaller gym also will be fully functional.
At Monday's board of education meeting, Todd Cyrulik, the principal designer for BLDD Architects, Inc., made another presentation on SHS as it heads towards a final design and the start of construction in the spring.
That includes the tear down of a number of buildings on Monroe west of Lewis Street to build the new student entrance, office area, student commons, cafeteria and new gymnasiums, Gill said.
A community meeting last month about the design surfaced concerns about traffic around the school, particularly drop-off points and parking, an issue "near-term during construction and long-term in how it will flow once the building is completed," Gill said.
School leaders had an initial meeting, Gill said, with Dave Fuchs, the city's director of Public Works, Nate Bottom, the city's chief engineer and TJ Heavisides, the city's traffic engineer, to hash out questions and concerns about areas around the school and start brainstorming solutions.
"We all know there's a jog over on West Washington Street as you cross Lewis Street and we also know that part of Lewis is one way and doesn't flow both directions and that Parker Street behind it is a very small street," Gill said after Monday's meeting. "(There are) questions we had about how the students and families who are dropping off will pull into the parking lot, leave and get onto either Parker or Lewis and/or Monroe."
Another crosswalk with the RRFBs has been talked about on Washington Street, Gill said. RRFBs are similar to ones up at a pedestrian crosswalk on MacArthur Boulevard at the entrance to Washington Park.
The construction project is anticipated to be completed by the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Spartan Field
Construction at Spartan Field will begin immediately after the conclusion of the spring track and field season, said Jason Wind, executive director of school support for District 186.
The work will necessitate a move for the football team in the fall, he said.
"If things go great and construction runs well and we get things done at Spartan Field prior to the end of the football season, we would move games back there," Wind said. "It would be a longshot. We're being proactive (with scheduling changes)."
The work, Wind said, is "a complete re-do of what Spartan Field looks like," including a new press box and installation of a new scoreboard "very comparable to what we have at Memorial Stadium."
Lanphier High School
While new classrooms will be opening in January, Gill anticipated construction going through next summer.
The current Lober-Nika Gymnasium will be torn down. Workers also will begin asbestos removal of the Edison Wing before its teardown.
Gill said workers will be completing construction on the fine arts auditorium by end of school year.
The funding for the projects comes from the 1% sales tax increase that Sangamon County voters approved in 2018, netting District 186 an average of $13 million per year.
For more information
Monday's presentation on SHS is available through the district's YouTube channel.
The presentation and an FAQ also will be going onto the district's website under "Our Schools Our Future."
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Part of Lanphier High School construction in Springfield to be completed
