'It Is Happening': D140 Says New School Will Be Built Despite Delays

TINLEY PARK, IL — Amid social media chatter and curiosity about the progress of a new school planned to be built in Orland Hills, District 140 Superintendent Dr. Dan Callaghan reassured parents that they are moving ahead with the project.

The timeline for construction of the new 83,000-square-foot Fernway Park Elementary School has changed a bit from earlier projections, Callaghan said, also assuring that the new building will be erected. The building is estimated to cost the district $34 million, Callaghan said.

"We are currently in the 'permitting' stage," Callaghan told Patch. Officials will go out to bid on the project in early-November. The district is scheduled to break ground in March 2024, with construction occurring over approximately 15 months.

The district plans to furnish the building in July/August of 2025, and students will begin the '25 school year in the new facility, Callaghan said.

"It is happening," Callaghan stressed, knowing some parents are wondering.

District 140 went to referendum in June 2022, asking voters to approve of officials digging into cash reserves to construct the building, which will replace the current one at 16600 88th Ave. in Orland Hills. The almost 60-year-old building is one of the oldest in the district and is in desperate need of more space for pre-school through fifth grade, officials said.

The new construction will be on the same property, behind the current school, Callaghan said. After construction has completed, the former building will be demolished, with a parking lot in its place, Callaghan said.

Kirby District 140 takes in students from Tinley Park, Orland Hills, and Orland Park.