Publications & Sites 
Oak Brook schools report shows long-term savings with new building
Updated: April 15, 2013 2:10AM
OAK BROOK — The building and maintenance of a new school would cost less over the next 50 years than to remodel and retain the two existing school buildings in Butler Elementary District 53.
That’s the bottom line in a Building Maintenance Comparison report presented Monday night by FGM Architects at the District 53 Board meeting.
“It’s difficult for people to look that far into the future when they hear information like that,” board President Alan Hanzlik said. “We talk about having to spend $12.2 million over the next 10 years on life safety work at Brook Forest and Butler Junior High, compared to about $40 million for a new school, but that’s not the real cost picture when you really look down the road.”
The District 53 Board is interested in purchasing 8.5 acres of Sports Core property from Oak Brook and building a school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. That plan would include closing Butler Junior High and Brook Forest Elementary, and selling those properties.
All Oak Brook voters have the opportunity April 9 to have their say on an advisory referendum seeking approval for the village to sell Sports Core property to District 53. A second referendum will ask voters in District 53 to approve the sale of $15 million in bonds to help fund the building of a new school. About two-thirds of Oak Brook residents live in District 53.
The cost comparisons in the report from FGM Architects anticipate a total cost over 50 years of $47.2 million to build a new school, compared to a cost of $48.7 million to remodel and retain the existing buildings.
The cost for a new school is based on $40 million for building and maintaining it from 2013-2022, $26.7 million in maintenance costs from 2023-2062, and bond interest of $9 million. That totals to $75.7 million; however, consolidation savings of $28.5 million are estimated in the report.
Hanzlik said about half of the estimated $570,000 in annual savings would come from personnel.
“One building would mean one principal, which, between salary and benefits is about $200,000 a year,” he said. “There also would be savings on some administrative staff, and there would be a significant savings on third-party vendors, such as energy, an alarm company, and copying.”
The $48.7 million estimate over 50 years to remodel and retain Brook Forest and Butler Junior High is based on $12.2 million from 2013-2022 in Life Safety work and $36.5 million on maintenance from 2023-2062.
