Last week, Daniel Smothers spent time canvassing his neighborhood, talking with his neighbors on Green Valley Drive, Madison Street and other nearby roads. He discussed the plan proposed expansion plan of the College Preparatory School of America at 331 W. Madison St., just down the road from his home in Lombard.
He and many of his neighbors were worried about the increased traffic flow the area streets would see if the proposed plan were agreed to by the Village Board.
“No one I’ve heard has suggested CPSA close their doors,” Smothers said during his presentation to the Village Board. “We’re just saying why expand in a neighborhood that can ill afford more traffic.”
Smothers received applause June 8 after delivering his speech and a petition to the Village Board.
Despite opposition from Smothers and nearby neighbors, the Lombard Village Board voted unanimously to allow the CPSA to expand on its site.
After outgrowing its current building, the CPSA sought to expand on its property at 331 W. Madison St. in Lombard. The private Muslim school founded in 1991 enrolls more than 430 students from preschool to 12th grade.
More than 15 residents came to the Village Board meeting June 18 to express their opinion on the expansion of the school, with a near split of those in favor and those against.
Many of those against the plan were neighbors near the school who were worried about how additional traffic will affect their neighborhood. The CPSA is about a block from Madison Elementary School.
“The traffic on Madison Street is a problem, and I can’t see it getting any better,” said Peter McNamara, a resident near the school. “I have nothing about against them expanding, but do something about traffic because it’s terrible.”
After the meeting, Smothers said he was disappointed by the outcome.
“Our group was very disappointed that we received no support from a single trustee,” Smothers said. “The fact that this will add potentially 200 cars, twice a day, to a neighborhood on a busy street is a nuisance to the neighbors and the neighborhood.”
District 6 Trustee William Ware, whose district includes the CPSA’s grounds, said he received a number of calls and e-mails both for and against the expansion.
“My job is to listen to the residents, and I really do believe they had some legitimate concerns,” Ware said.
He told the board meeting’s audience he was supporting the plan because many of the issues residents brought up had been addressed in prior meetings.
Previous changes to the plan included pickup time for waste occurring no earlier than 8 a.m., a cap on maximum amount of students, and varying drop-off and pickup times for CPSA and Madison students.
“Although it might seem small to some people, the residents still had input and some things did get changed,” Ware said. “But at the end of the day, the CPSA did get their building.”
The school’s $7.5 million expansion plan calls for a three-floor, 61,000-square-foot facility that would house a new gym, library, 18 classrooms and administration offices.
Andrew Draus, attorney for the CPSA, said the next step in the plan is to submit a final building plan to village engineers and gain permits to begin construction.
He is hopeful the school will break ground on the project in September or October, with a projected completion date 18 months to two years later.
