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Oswego Dist. 308 cites leaks from recent storms as need for districtwide improvements under $317M referendum · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Azwego DIST, three hundred and eight sites from recent storms as need
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  for District wide improvements under 317 million referendum. Written
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  by Eric Shelkoff This article is being read by an automated voice,
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  brought to you by Everlit. Built in 1957, the HVAC Electrical
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  Plumbing and Roofing Systems at Oswego School District 308's East View Academy
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  are reaching the end of their useful life, according to district officials.
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  The building needs 15.8 million in facility improvements officials said.
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  That's just one of the projects that would be funded if voters
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  approved the district's 317 million bond referendum on the November 3, general
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  election ballot. The referendum dedicates seventy nine percent of the funds to
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  critical infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to HVAC systems and roof replacement, officials
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  said. The rest of the funds would address safety and security, renovations
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  to student support spaces, and other high-priority facility and site needs. All
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  twenty-two schools. Buildings in the district are affected. Our buildings aren't new.
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  District three hundred and eight Operations Director Andre Skoensee told those attending
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  a september twenty first referendum information meeting at the Oswego Public Library
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  campus in downtown Oswego. They're all starting to show their age. The
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  district had a facility assessment done of its 22 School School district
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  officials said.
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  Almost 70 of the schools were built between 2001 and 2008, and
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  now are reaching the age where major systems need replacement. As an
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  example, recent heavy rainfall caused leaks in 11 of the district's 22
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  buildings Fox Chase Elementary School, Homestead Elementary School, Wolfs Crossing Elementary schools
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  and Thomson Junior High School experienced roof leaks, officials said. In addition,
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  Brokaw Early Learning Center, Old Post Elementary School, Prairie Point Elementary School,
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  Bed Narsik Junior High
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  School Plank Junior High School, Oswego High School, and Oswego East High
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  School experienced leaks from their roofs as well As some windows and
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  doors. In a single day we had eleven schools with active leaks
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  inside the building. District 308 Chief Communications Officer Teresa Komitas said, some
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  of them had eight to ten spaces that We’re
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  actively leaking from windows, from doors, and from roofs. A drainpipe malfunction
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  at Oswego East High School last year that caused flooding during severe
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  storms forced the district to go to early learning until the problem
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  was fixed. As a result of the malfunction, a large volume of
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  water entered the building rapidly and caused damage on multiple floors. Oswego
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  East High School was built in 2005 and Oswego High School was
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  built in 1964. We're kind of playing a game of whack a
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  mole right now, like kind of what's broken today and what we
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  can do to make it work for tomorrow, Komitas said. Impact on
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  homeowners At the August 10 Oswego School Board meeting, the majority of
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  board members voted to put the referendum on the November 3rd General
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  Election Ballot. Because The
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  district is retiring existing long term debt at the same time, homeowners
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  would see a decrease in the debt service portion of their property
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  taxes, even if the referendum is approved, officials said. For a home
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  with a fair market value of 300,000, residents would pay about 100
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  less per year starting in 2028 and an additional 56 less beginning
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  in 2036, the district said. The last time voters approved a district
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  308 bond referendum was in 2006. The 450 million referendum-funded
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  school construction projects. Why schools need upgrades? The district quickly expanded from
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  just 6 schools to 22 schools to meet the rapid growth in
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  Oswego in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Seventeen new schools were
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  built in just 12 years. The district's enrollment surged from about 4,000
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  students in 1992 to more than 17,000 students in 2013. They were
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  all built in that small window of time, Komita said. The school
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  district serves portions of Kendall, Will and Kane counties. The referendum would
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  fund facility improvements at all of the district's schools. More information about
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  the referendum is available at sd308.org slash update 308.