Glenbard West stands out among Illinois schools in part because of its architectural beauty, tall surrounding trees, and unique iconic charm.  One other differing factor however, is the comparatively small parcel of land of which it occupies.  Its building footprint-to-available land ratio is incredibly small.  In the early 1920s, a substantial portion of Lake Ellyn had to be filled in to create space for a football field. For several years, our baseball teams and lacrosse teams bus to their home and practice fields several miles away. In spite of, and perhaps because of these property constraints, the school property is hilled with large oaks, Duchon Field is recognized as one of the top 10 most scenic venues for watching a football game in the nation. Team Hilltoppers is a name honoring adjacent Lake Ellyn Park, the view North, as well as the home property with its Botanic Garden.

A parcel of land known as the George Zahrobsky Botanical Garden sits at the east end of the school.  The area is  documented in  “Plants of the Chicago Region, “ by Dr. Gerould Wilhelm to contain pre-settlement  Oaks and 74 native plant  species.   When the first settlers arrived in DuPage County in 1834, 85% of the county was open prairie, the remaining 15% consisted of oak and maple stands, one of which remains to this day at the east end of the high school.

Plans prepared by Legat Architects of Oak Brook, Illinois currently propose a 28,000 square-foot ‘Science wing addition’ to be erected on that parcel of land, which will consist of eight laboratory classrooms, a photo lab, and a loading dock adjacent to a 21 foot retaining wall cut into the hill and highly visible from Lake Ellyn. Construction of such an addition will require the cutting down and removal of over 280 native trees,  three of which are very rare redwoods (the Morton Arboretum also has three- which people travel  long distances to view), and nine oaks that are “pre-settlement” age:  over 200 years old.  The valued land parcel in jeopardy represents a part of Honey Suckle Hill that has gone largely undisturbed for centuries.

In the 1970s this land was owned by a Glen Ellyn resident who planned on building houses on the parcel, which is why it is still zoned Residential R-2.  Science Department Chair George Zahrobsky asked District 87 Superintendent Dr. Dean Stoakes to secure funds to acquire this land.  Initially unsuccessful, Zahrobsky persisted for several years in efforts that included signed petitions from the Glenbard West student body.  Thanks to these efforts, District 87 eventually purchased that land for $78,000.  The Science Department subsequently used the land for its intended purpose, which was outdoor education, with George Zahrobsky and Rick Billings often holding classes there.

The proposed addition stretches from the school building through a 30 foot long glassed-in entry bridge.  The architects have stated that this is necessary because it would not be possible for a brick “match” if the addition butted-up against the school.  However, the bricks built for an addition can be matched to the existing school just as the Field House bricks match those of the Biester Gymnasium.  Since the addition will be fire sprinklered, there will be no need for fire separation either, per code.

The east end of Glenbard West can be built up vertically.  All eight classrooms could be constructed on a higher floor there, without using up any of the property there.  For less money.  Why use up all the land ?  Glenbard West does not possess the acreage enjoyed by the other Glenbard schools.  An 8-classroom addition to Glenbard West should not be designed in the same manner as it would for the other three Glenbard schools.

We the undersigned, feel very strongly that architectural plans for the addition of science classrooms be revised and redrawn.  We feel strongly that the proposed plan is unacceptable.  We feel strongly that the destruction of over 80% of the Botanical Garden trees is unnecessary.  We feel strongly that the intent of revised plans should first and foremost take into consideration that the school’s current ‘footprint’ has been maximized and that any future construction must strive to keep the usage of any remaining school property to its barest minimum, that as many of the existing trees be spared, and that the George Zahrobsky Botanical Garden be preserved and maintained for use as a student educational garden.