York High Hassle Blamed On City Contractor

ELMHURST, IL — A project at York High School is expected to be delayed by two months, meaning some sports practices will have to be moved off campus, an official said this week.

In front of the school is a big hole. That is where the city plans to install underground storage tanks to help with stormwater problems. After that, Elmhurst School District 205 is set to install an artificial turf field.

At this week's school board meeting, Todd Schmidt, the district's building and grounds director, said the city's contractor could not provide the components to fulfill its contract. So the city canceled the contract and found a new contractor.

"The vendor has to start ramping up its production, and it's taken some time," Schmidt said. "The city has been upfront in letting us know about this throughout the process."

The city is also prepared to have its contractor stop work from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., when York sees a lot of traffic, he said.

"They will work with us on everything. They understand it. They know how congested it can get out there at York. They will do everything they can, so they don't disrupt our flow out there," Schmidt said.

Meanwhile, he said, the school district is looking to see if it can move some practices to Elmhurst University and other places.

School board President Kara Caforio said the agreement with the city includes provisions that are triggered if the project runs behind.

"I understand that a lot of things have changed, yet it's important that those things that were agreed upon are honored and we work together to make sure the kids aren't affected," she said.

Board member Chris Kocinski said he hoped the district could work with the city to avoid disruption for students and the whole town.

"Because of this, that area gets clogged up. That will be highly noticeable by all and not appreciated," Kocinski said. "I'm sure everyone involved understands that. That's a big priority as we go through this. With the project delayed by 60 days or so, we have to make sure to minimize the impact on the kids."

Patch left a message for comment with the city. It also filed a public records request for correspondence between the city and the former contractor.