Major Elmhurst School Renovation Planned

ELMHURST, IL – Madison Early Childhood Center is set to undergo a year-long renovation starting this summer.

With around 300 students, the preschool at 130 W. Madison St. is part of Elmhurst School District 205.

With the renovation, the district plans to reconfigure the layout, requiring the demolition of many interior walls.

The number of classrooms will be increased by one, to 12. And the renovation is expected to result in 14 restrooms, up from five. Officials want to get restrooms close to every classroom.

The gym, described as largely unused, will be converted to other uses, according to the district.

"The building was an elementary school. Then it was converted to an administration building, then to an early childhood center," Todd Schmidt, the district's facilities director, told the school board Tuesday. "There is a lot of work that needs to be done to make it an early childhood center."

During the project, the preschool's students are set to move to Edison and Field elementary schools.

The project's timing, Schmidt said, should mean better pricing from contractors. That's because most school projects are on tight summer schedules that involve overtime and double shifts, he said.

In the case of Madison, the contractor will have an entire year to complete the project, Schmidt said.

In September, the district estimated the Madison project would cost $11.9 million, up by a third from the $8.9 million estimate five years earlier.

In 2018, voters supported a $168.5 million referendum for projects throughout the district. Over the last few years, construction costs have risen because of inflation, supply chain issues and labor shortages.