Bremen High School District 228 is moving forward with plans to turn a funeral home into its new administrative center.

The school board voted May 20 to acquire 17101 71st Ave in Tinley Park for $2.1 million.

Superintendent Brad Sikora said the district committed to purchase the building and land from John N. Maher Funeral and Legal Services after years of keeping the idea for a new administration center on the back burner. He said amid other major renovations to some of the district’s high schools, a space for offices and board meeting spaces wasn’t urgent.

Sikora said the existing building on Pulaski Road in Midlothian was built in the 1950s and is “past its life cycle, if you ask me.” He said the district looked into construcitng a new building on the same property as its existing office, but the price tag was too high, about $8 million.

The funeral home was listed for sale for about six months when the district expressed interest. The building was Tinley Park’s public library from 1974 to 2014, which Sikora said offers perks in terms of a strong foundation and large meeting spaces.

“They used to build those libraries like bomb shelters, honestly,” Sikora said. “It has a really, really good structure.”

Sikora said the funeral home spent about $1 million to renovate the building several years ago and it is in good condition to convert into a fully functioning administrative center.

The board holds its meetings in the district’s four schools, Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Bremen and Hillcrest high schools, and the building would become the board’s new home as well as that of 20 administrative employees.

While the district passed a resolution authorizing the property acquisition last week, the district must complete a survey and site inspection costing up to $10,000 before closing.

Sikora said the closing could take between 30 and 60 days with renovations expected to begin next fall.

The board will pay for the property in cash, and upcoming renovations will not require a referendum or bonds, according to Sikora.

“We’ve been lucky to be in the black for the last few years,” he said.

“So we knew that a project like this could be done, and we’ve made that part of our budget.”

Sikora said the district has not decided what it will do with the existing administrative building once the sale closes, but it could be converted to storage or demolished.

The funeral home will also continue to serve Tinley Park and surrounding communities and will announce its relocation plans “in the near term,” according to managing member John Maher.

“We are excited that the property will continue to be a location that houses those dedicated to the community after the sale,” Maher said in an email.

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