New Elmhurst School 'Ready For Kids': Official

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst School District 205 is putting on the finishing touches on its new Lincoln Elementary School, an official said Tuesday.

The old school building was leveled last summer, and the project has continued for the last year.

Now, crews are bringing in the furniture, conducting elevator inspections and commissioning the heating and air conditioning systems, said Todd Schmidt, the district's director of facilities.

Also, murals from a local artist are on the school's walls, Schmidt said.

"A lot of the offices are getting set up. The classrooms are getting set up right now," Schmidt told the school board. "It's going really well."

The first day of school is Aug. 17.

Like many projects in northern Illinois, the one at Lincoln is suffering from one issue, Schmidt said. A strike continues at 35 quarries, which is causing an asphalt shortage.

The crews at Lincoln already have one layer of asphalt for the school's parking lot, but they still must put in a top one.

Next week, the playground will be installed, he said.

"Other than that, we're ready for the kids," Schmidt said.

The district is undergoing a similar project at Field. The school was recently demolished, and a new one is being built in its place.

The projects are being paid for from a $168 million referendum, which voters passed in 2018.