$85M Referendum For Lockport Central Goes To Voters: 2024 Primary Election

ILLINOIS — Voters who live within Lockport Township High School District 205 will vote Tuesday on whether to approve an $85M referendum and issue school building bonds for much-needed repairs and renovations at Lockport Township High School Central Campus, which was home to district freshmen.

In November, the school at 1222 S. Jefferson St. closed after a classroom ceiling collapsed overnight. No one was at the school at the time of the collapse, but the incident did considerable damage and prompted a structural review of the 115-year-old building.

Since then, freshmen have attended class at Lincoln-Way North High School in Frankfort, which closed in 2016.

Previous referenda aimed at replacing Lockport Central have failed — voters rejected the measures, which called for building a new school in Homer Glen, in 2006, 2007, twice in 2008, 2009 and in 2011. The new plan calls for renovating the existing campus, built in 1909. Additions to the campus were built in 1930 and 1953, according to the District website

Related: No Asbestos Found In LTHS Ceiling Collapse Debris

"Over the past two years, our district has been working to address an issue that we have faced for almost 20 years," according to Lockport Township Board documents.

The $85 million project would include work to preserve and protect the building exterior, Veterans Foyer and main gym, replace and improve HVAC and mechanical systems and update instructional areas to comply with the Americans with Disability Act.

Less than two months before the ceiling collapse, the school board met to discuss the future of Lockport Central, with discussion centering on several possibilities for renovation, with cost projections between $35 million and $95 million.

After the collapse, the board approved an agreement to bus students to the empty Lincoln-Way North campus during an emergency meeting. The initial agreement allowed for occupancy of Lincoln-Way North for three months, with the option to extend the contract monthly. The monthly contract fee is $250,000, the District told Patch.

The $85 million referendum asks voters:

"Shall the Board of Education of Lockport Township High School District Number 205, Will County, Illinois, alter, repair, renovate, equip and improve the site of the Lockport Township High School Central Campus, including preserving and protecting the exterior of the building, Veterans Foyer and main gym, replacing and improving HVAC and major mechanical systems, renovating and updating instructional areas and classrooms and improving accessibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $85,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?"