Woodlands' Plans Start Modest With Room to Grow

Less than two years after it learned it was receiving the 23 acres of the former Barat College campus from an anonymous donor, Woodlands Academy presented plans for its expanded campus at an open house Thursday at the school.

The modest plan calls for athletic fields, pathways and a little more with room to grow should the need arise, according to Trustee Ralph Elwart. Though not losing site of the mission of a school which educates 196 female students, he is not setting limits either.

“We are bound by our imagination,” Elwart said. “With imagination you can build anything. Do we have anything planned (beyond athletic fields, pathways and other modest improvements)? No. We want to grow into it slowly.”

Should that imagination start working, the existing design has the flexibility to be modified in the years ahead to meet other needs. “With a nip here and a tuck there (buildings could be added),” he said referring to possible future plans. This phase of the project is all part of the gift, according to Elwart.

This project started in August, 2011, when Woodlands learned an anonymous donor wanted to give it the adjacent 23-acre former Barat College grounds for educational purposes to reunite with its existing 18-acre facility. From 1904 until 1951, the campuses were one.

Reality came a step closer when Elwart presented the master plan to the Lake Forest Plan Commission Wednesday which gave it a 6-0 approval sending it to the City Council for action next month.

Though there will be new athletic fields, a meeting hall and space for contemplation, Woodlands itself will remain the same. “There will be no changes to the Woodlands part of the campus,” Elwart said.

When the initial phase is complete, there will be a regulation softball field as well as another to be shared for field hockey and soccer. “They will be level playing fields,” Elwart said referring to the fact the existing outdoor sports facilities have a slope.

The outdoor sports facilities will not be lighted for night play. “That is a lightening rod,” Elwart said referring to something he believes will bring community objection. “There will be lighting in the parking lot (for safety).”

In addition to paths for walking—nearly a mile—and places for contemplation and picnics, the Cooney Building on the former Barat campus is currently in excellent condition, according to Elwart, and will be preserved for a variety of uses.

“It will be used for all educational purposes,” Elwart said. “We see it as a place for receptions, meetings. Anytime we need a place for gathering together we will be able to use it.”

The most optimistic scenario has the field hockey team playing on its new field in the autumn of 2014 but if delays occur due to weather or other reasons, it should be ready for soccer and softball the following spring.

The project begins with the construction of a cell phone tower for the equipment currently sitting atop Old Main, the mammoth Barat building which will be demolished. Once the equipment is moved to the new tower—the combined project is expected to take 60 to 90 days—Old Main will start to come down, according to Elwart.

Elwart expects the demolition of Old Main to last four to six months with an equal amount of time needed to create the athletic fields and hone the rest of the grounds.

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