Roosevelt Exterior Project
Background
Since November 2011, District 90 has been engaged in a systemic planning effort to consider potential solutions to identified safety and student use issues on the Roosevelt Middle School campus. The Board of Education directed the staff to begin looking at ways to improve the functionality and safety of the school site at that time.
Communication
The progress of the plan has been reported at Board and Committee of the Whole meetings, by local media, and at district PTO Council meetings. The District also provided information directly to residents through a series of informational postcards sent to all River Forest homes in 2013 and 2014, and in the District's Primer e-newsletter, as well as through this page.
The Administration has communicated regularly during the planning process with Roosevelt's institutional neighbors, including the River Forest Public Library, River Forest Park District, River Forest Tennis Club, and the nearby First Presbyterian Church, as well as residential neighbors and other community stakeholders.
The Plans
An initial draft of the proposed campus improvement plan was presented at the January 8, 2013, Board of Education meeting. Also in January, administrative staff went door-to-door to meet with and/or provide written information about the project to the residential neighbors surrounding the school.
In February 2013, the Board held a Community Meeting to gain additional feedback about the draft plan. Based on comments received, the Board determined that more time was needed to solicit further feedback and involvement of all interested community members before making a decision about the project.
The Board endorsed an Action Plan that outlined the process that has been used in considering additional stakeholder input and communicating progress with the community (please see links below). The Board followed this process to ensure that the implications of the proposed project are fully considered before finalizing elements of the proposal.
This page will provide information and updates about the plans as they proceed. For more information or to make comments, please contact Anthony Cozzi, Director of Finance and Facilities, [email protected] 708-771-8282.
Planning Committee
Initially, an 11-person planning committee including Roosevelt staff (some who live in River Forest), parents, and District 90 administrators worked with civil engineers, architects, and traffic specialists to develop solutions to identified campus issues. Seven new members were added to the Committee in November 2013, including community residents, parents and a Roosevelt Middle School student (for a full list of committee members, please contact the Administration office). The expanded Committee presented its recommendations to the Board of Education for review at its December 16, 2013, Regular Meeting.
Board Vote - April 21, 2014
The Board of Education voted to approve a revised plan presented at its Regular Meeting on April 21, 2014. For more information about the planning process, please see documents and drawings posted in the Documents section below.
Board Approves Roosevelt Plan - September 15, 2014
The Board of Education voted to approve a plan for at its Regular Meeting on September 15. The vote advances the process and begins the next steps of communicating with Village officials and the DRB. Please see the most recent overall site plan posted in the Documents section below.