$85M Lockport Township High School Referendum Fails

ILLINOIS — The polls are closed, with all precincts reporting, it appears Lockport Township High School District 205's $85 million referendum, aimed at issuing building bonds to renovate and repair the 115-year-old Lockport Township Central Campus after a ceiling collapse, has failed.

As of just after 10:30 p.m., unofficial vote totals showed "no" votes leading by 963 votes, with all precincts tallied. Some absentee votes could still be counted before results are official.

The building, where a classroom ceiling collapsed in November, serves as the District's freshman center.

Here's how the question was posted to voters:

"Shall the Board of Education of Lockport Township High School District Number 205, Will County, Illinois, alter, repair, renovate, equip and improve the site of the Lockport Township High School Central Campus, including preserving and protecting the exterior of the building, Veterans Foyer and main gym, replacing and improving HVAC and major mechanical systems, renovating and updating instructional areas and classrooms and improving accessibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $85,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?"

Here's where vote totals stood with 100 percent of precincts reporting in Will County:

Yes: 5,810

No: 6,773

On Nov. 2, the building at 1222 S. Jefferson St. closed after a classroom ceiling collapsed overnight. No one was at the school at the time of the collapse.

Since then, freshmen have attended class at Lincoln-Way North High School in Frankfort, which closed in 2016.

Previous referenda aimed at replacing Lockport Central with a new building have failed — voters rejected the measures, which called for building a new school in Homer Glen, in 2006, 2007, twice in 2008, 2009 and in 2011. The new plan called for renovating the existing campus, built in 1909. Additions to the campus were built in 1930 and 1953, according to the District website

Related: No Asbestos Found In LTHS Ceiling Collapse Debris

"Over the past two years, our district has been working to address an issue that we have faced for almost 20 years," according to Lockport Township Board documents.

The $85 million project would include work to preserve and protect the building exterior, Veterans Foyer and main gym, replace and improve HVAC and mechanical systems and update instructional areas to comply with the Americans with Disability Act.

Less than two months before the ceiling collapse, the school board met to discuss the future of Lockport Central, with discussion centering on several possibilities for renovation, with cost projections between $35 million and $95 million.

After the collapse, the board approved an agreement to bus students to the empty Lincoln-Way North campus during an emergency meeting. The initial agreement allowed for occupancy of Lincoln-Way North for three months, with the option to extend the contract monthly. The monthly contract fee is $250,000, the District told Patch.