Chaddock to build $2M cottage

February 16, 2009

By Holly Wagner

Plans to build a $2 million cottage at Chaddock were announced today by Chaddock President and CEO Debbie Reed.

The cottage will blend green construction techniques with features designed to meet the specific needs of Chaddock's students.

"The cottage is being built totally of donated dollars," Reed said. "We're able to do this because of the support we've received over the years. Our support family recognizes that we've done the best we can with the space we have."

The new cottage will not increase the number of beds but instead will replace one that will be used for other programs, Reed said.

Chaddock serves about 42 students ages 8 to 16 in its residential programs. Its cottages originally were built to serve as an orphanage, with dormitory-type bedrooms.

"That's not the type of space ... most helpful for the children we serve," Reed said. "We're designing this specifically targeted to the unique needs of our students, (to) strengthen the treatment experience for them."

Construction of the 7,655-square-foot residence is expected to start by summer and take about eight months to complete. The cottage will be built on the circle drive to the east of Chaddock School.

The cottage will feature 10 individual bedrooms, a kitchen, family room, offices and play space. It will include the latest technology in communication equipment along with indestructible materials and open spaces for ease of supervision.

To limit energy consumption, it will be built into an existing hill, positioned to capture natural light. Chaddock has committed to using nonepoxy paints, natural floor coverings and other green building products to provide a pleasant, therapeutic environment for the children.

Fumes from traditional building materials, fluorescent lighting and noise levels can negatively affect the behavior of children.

Environmental responsibility is "very much in keeping with the social principle of the United Methodist Church," which is affiliated with Chaddock, Reed said. "It's a good lesson for our children that, just as we can do something to preserve and restore the Earth, we can do the same for them."

Chaddock will be seeking the Silver level of LEED certification, the performance standard set forth in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Landscaping will feature native Illinois plants and rain gardens as water retention basins.

The project will include a pocket playground designed to appeal to all ages.

Because of the trauma of their early years, Chaddock students are likely to be behind their chronological age in terms of emotional development, Reed said. The playground will provide them with an environment to experience the satisfaction of early childhood play in ways that are in step with their chronological age.