District 300 Unveils New Administration Building
Written by Stephen Di Benedetto, Northwest Herald. January 14, 2015
Algonquin School District 300 unveils new administration building
ALGONQUIN – The newly opened $3.9 million administration building gives administrators from Algonquin-based School District 300 a centralized location that is nearly twice the size of their old office in Carpentersville.
The different administrative departments from District 300 also will be housed together at the same location for the first time – the primary motive behind officials’ decision to build the two-story, 28,000-square-foot building, said Chuck Bumbales, assistant superintendent of operations.
“The goal is better communication amongst all of our departments,” Bumbales said. “We are really hoping that in-person touch is really going to improve communication.”
But for parents and students, the majority of the building at 2550 Harnish Drive, Algonquin, will be off-limits, excluding the new district board room. Located near the main lobby, the larger meeting area can fit between 30 to 40 additional people.
It features four 70-inch TVs that add a visual component to board presentations and includes a raised seating area for board members. It’s a larger, more flexible space for the community than the board’s former meeting location at Westfield Community School, Bumbales said.
As staffers were settling into their new office and waiting for the final pieces of furniture to arrive, Bumbales showcased the new board room, five conference rooms and various office spaces during a media tour earlier this week.
The nine-month construction project forced administrators in the spring to move from Carpentersville to Hampshire, before they permanently relocated to Algonquin last week.
The project coincided with a $1.17 million renovation to the former Central Office in Carpentersville. The renovation converted the office into classrooms for the district’s alternative Oak Ridge School.
Officials should complete the move into the new Central Office by the end of January, Bumbales said.
“Everything operates – the phones, the Internet, the security systems, the fire system,” he said. “It’s really now about the final move-in touches that will really make the place become home.”
