After months of planning, we are reaching the point where the bond project will become increasingly evident around our campus. Following our most recent construction planning meeting, I want to share where we are now, what is coming next, and how the timeline for several of the major project components has evolved. We will rapidly begin to see the project move into a much more visible phase. While recent rains have delayed the beginning of some of the major structural work, dirt preparation and footings are now getting underway, and we will see significant changes to the campus over the coming weeks and months.
Construction Begins to Take Shape. The first major structural work is beginning with the elementary and CTE additions. Weather permitting, elementary footings are scheduled to be poured late in the week of October 5th. That will be followed by dirt preparation for the new gym and footings for the new Career & Technical Education (CTE) addition later in October. That will be followed by CTE stem walls, scheduled to be poured in late October. From there, the work will move toward the gym footings, and into structural work.
This work continues the progress made over the summer, with a large amount of site work completed, the new greenhouse assembled, and improvements made to the lower elementary classrooms. The final construction drawings were completed in late August, and the project is in the process of vetting and finalizing bids as construction moves ahead.
Encouraging Bidding Results. The bidding process for the project has also provided some very encouraging news. The bids received to date, in the aggregate, are comfortably within the project budget. At this point, there are only a few late-phase packages remaining to be bid. The majority of the more than 50 bid packages were opened in late August, and those are still to be vetted. However, the preliminary numbers give us a high level of confidence that we will be able to complete the full scope of the voter-approved project within budget. After being fully reviewed, a final guaranteed maximum price contract will be executed. The results of the bidding process have put us in a very strong position as construction moves forward.
A Few Temporary Inconveniences. As construction becomes more active, there will inevitably be some temporary changes to how we use our campus. All the while, we will continue to do everything possible to minimize the impact on students and daily school operations.
Some examples of such inconveniences include the elementary parking lot being closed October 25-30 for restriping. On October 30, a day that teachers have professional development in Fairbury, elementary power will be temporarily shut off while a transformer is relocated.
Later in the semester, portions of the CTE wing will become temporarily unavailable for plumbing line installation, and likewise some classrooms will be temporarily relocated as ceiling storm drainage lines are installed. Roughly midway through the spring 2027 semester, the high school locker rooms will begin renovation. During that time, remaining locker room spaces will be reassigned for student-athlete use.
To improve nighttime visibility and safety during construction, temporary lighting will soon be added along the south lawn, the south end of the high school parking lot, and the elementary parking lot.
Collectively, these short-term inconveniences are part of the process of preparing the campus for the much larger improvements that are now beginning to take shape.
Looking Ahead to 2027-2028. One important thing we have been able to accomplish through our ongoing planning is refining the timeline for the next phases of the project.
Of particular importance, we’re excited that the new Preschool addition remains on schedule to be ready for the 2027-2028 school year, allowing for the expansion of the program next school year. Likewise, the new Art and CTE additions are expected to be completed by the end of summer 2027 or sooner. The high school Music rooms are also scheduled to be ready for the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year.
This means there will be some important moves next summer. We will vacate the existing high school Music and CTE spaces during May 2027, allowing those areas to be renovated during the summer and fall. The new CTE addition will be available for the fall semester of 2027-2028, and the current CTE classrooms and shops will be entirely housed in the new CTE addition during the fall semester of 2027-2028 as the existing CTE spaces continue to be renovated. That renovation is expected to begin in May 2027 and conclude around December 2027, making the entire CTE wing available for the spring 2028 semester.
Another particularly encouraging development is the revised timeline for the auditorium. Earlier plans anticipated the auditorium renovation occurring later in the project, but the current schedule has that work completed in time for the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
The new gym and locker rooms are expected to be available by January 2028. New gym restrooms will not yet be ready at that time, but the existing restrooms will still be available for use until the new restrooms are completed.
The Bigger Picture. When we first began discussing this project, we knew that a project of this size would take several years to complete. Our original planning anticipated construction continuing through the summer of 2028, with the major additions constructed first and interior renovations following as the project progressed.
We are now beginning to see that long-term plan become reality. The work taking place this fall is largely focused on the exterior structural additions, which allows us to keep our classrooms and daily operations as unaffected as possible during the 2026-2027 school year. As we move into summer 2027, the focus will significantly shift toward interior renovations and preparing the new spaces for students and staff. The summer of 2027 will necessitate a large amount of flexibility and grace by everyone to make things transition smoothly.
There is still a lot of work ahead, and construction schedules can change as weather, materials, and other factors affect the project. However, we are very encouraged by the progress we are making and by the increasingly clear picture of what our campus will look like over the next two years.
Most importantly, these improvements are about much more than buildings. They are about creating better learning opportunities for our students, expanding our Career & Technical Education opportunities, providing additional space for students and activities and preserving family time, and ensuring that Tri County Public Schools has facilities that can serve our students and community well for generations to come.
We are incredibly grateful for the continued patience, flexibility, and support of our students, staff, families, and community as we work through this process. As the construction becomes more visible, we will continue to provide updates about significant milestones, schedule changes, and any issues that affect our school community.
As always, if you ever have questions or things you’d like to discuss, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can be contacted in my office in person, by phone at (402) 683-2015, or by email at brian.rottinghaus@tricountyschools.org.