District 203 is implementing a five-year $30 million Capital Improvement Plan that will make renovations to elementary, junior high and high schools across the district. The plan will start in the summer of 2022. 

For the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, proposed projects include condenser relocation, window and door replacements, playground improvements and districtwide floor and roof upgrades, among others. The interior courtyard of Kennedy Junior High School will see renovation as well.

Naperville Central’s horticulture classroom will be renovated, and Naperville North will have switchgear replacements and building automation upgrades. There will also be new irrigation systems for the soccer fields of both high schools. 

According to the plan, $6 million will be allocated each year for these remodeling projects. Pat Dolan, Director of Buildings and Grounds for District 203, is in charge of proposing the plan and carrying it out. 

“The five year plan is basically a roadmap for upgrades across the district,” Dolan said. “It’s based on a report that was completed in 2013 that [gave us] a snapshot of building conditions and system conditions.” 

While Dolan proposed the plan for the entire five years, the Board of Education only approved the renovations for 2022-2023 so far. 

“It’s a living document,” Dolan said. “This time next year, you’ll probably see that we changed year two through five pretty substantially.”

Before proposing a plan to the board, Dolan solicits input from Superintendent Dan Bridges and other administrators. In addition to providing feedback and reviewing budgets, they give Dolan some additional directives. 

“[They may] ask us to adjust it, depending on goals they may have or things they may be aware of,” Dolan said. “For example, changes in enrollment or changes in demographics.” 

Apart from getting feedback from administrators, Dolan is aided by a team of maintenance personnel across the district, all of whom monitor building conditions and report on any potential upgrades. 

The maintenance department has aided in recognizing and solving student issues of the past. 

In 2021, for example, Naperville Central’s dehumidifiers and ventilation systems for swimming pools were renovated after concerns over fungal growth in the pool area. The new unit also improved the air quality. 

“It’s a big step,” Central junior and girls varsity swimmer Luca Seeling said. “Especially when it gets colder out, we have to shut the door for swim and it gets really hard to breathe during hard sets.” 

For years two through five of the plan, proposed projects include tennis court renovations and stadium scoreboard replacements at Naperville North.