Elmhurst School 'Eyesore' Irks Officials

ELMHURST, IL – Improvements to an old gravel parking lot at Elmhurst's Bryan Middle School may be in the works.

At a meeting Tuesday, Elmhurst School District 205 board members said the parking lot was an "eyesore" that has long upset the neighborhood.

It is at the northeast corner of Bryan Street and Butterfield Road.

The board's finance committee was presented with four options for the parking lot, ranging from $25,000 to $225,000.

All the choices call for removing the surrounding fence and bushes.

The most expensive option includes paving 30 spaces and adding drainage.

The second costliest option, $200,000, would involve converting the lot to greenspace and adding drainage.

"It's always been called an eyesore in this neighborhood," board member Courtenae Trautmann said. "I'm not married to making that greenspace. I feel we should do something around that space for the neighborhood."

Member Athena Arvanitis also called for action. She said it was an eyesore on Butterfield, one of Elmhurst's main streets.

"It needs improvement," she said. "I don't think it's a positive representation of our community."

No decisions were made.