'Tough' Elmhurst School Project To Last Over Year

ELMHURST, IL — Officials originally planned for the project at Elmhurst's Fischer Elementary School to be done in a year. They then figured that was unrealistic.

"It's going to be a tough remodel and addition," said Todd Schmidt, Elmhurst School District 205's building and grounds director.

With 530 students, the northside Fischer is the biggest of Elmhurst's eight elementary schools.

On Wednesday, officials discussed the project at Fischer during a school board committee meeting. They said a six-classroom addition would start in March and be ready when students return in the fall.

After that, the district plans to renovate a section of the school into the new library, media center and "makerspace," where students can work on projects. That will start next winter break and last until August 2023. The district is set to do a number of other Fischer renovations in the summer of 2023.

Schmidt said that when he and the district's construction manager met with the school's principal, they came in with the idea that the entire project would be done within a year. But they learned they were unable to do that without disrupting the school.

"We just didn't feel it was doable," Schmidt said.

The media center part of the project will require asbestos removal, which would be done during the winter break, he said. Then a wall will be built along the hallway next to the media center, he said.

School board member Courtenae Trautmann asked how much "disarray" the construction of the media center would cause during the school year.

Schmidt replied, "They won't even know we're there."