The District 202 Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved the district’s capital improvements projects for 2015 and the proposed five-year capital improvements plan.

Projects at Evanston Township High School include a new tennis center, restrooms incorporated in the tennis court renovations, updates for the planetarium and an outdoor building site for the Geometry in Construction class that built an affordable house last year and will build another this school year. The outdoor building site will impact student learning, school officials said.

Other improvements include Voice over Internet Protocol phone system upgrades and cooling tower renovations, which will reduce costs and improve efficiency for the district, officials said.

The ETHS Educational Foundation’s raised money and other sources, such as bonds and grants, will fund the capital improvements projects and help with undercapitalization, depreciation and tax caps.

In its recommendation that the District 202 board approve the five-year plan, the district also requested at the meeting that $4.9 million be transferred to the capital improvements fund, according to a news release.

“Thanks to the ETHS Educational Foundation, careful budgeting and setting priorities, we have been able to make significant improvements and upgrades to our facilities in recent years,” superintendent Eric Witherspoon said in the news release. “We are giving ETHS a new look while at the same time being good stewards and taking care of this beautiful school for generations to come.”

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @StephanieKellyM