Construction crews coming to Daniel Wright Junior High
An expansion and renovation of Lincolnshire's Daniel Wright Junior High School could get underway March 5, officials said this week.
And now that bids for the project have been approved, Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 officials have fine-tuned its cost estimate. They're putting the tab at about $7.5 million, down from the previously publicized $8 million estimate.
The project will kick off with some preliminary surveying at the school, 1370 Riverwoods Road, officials said.
After that, construction crews will get to work in space that, until recently, had been the District 103 offices. Those offices relocated to a Lincolnshire office building earlier this month.
Workers will move into the educational areas of the building after summer break begins.
The most visible element of the plan is a one-story, 1,800-square-foot addition near the front of the existing building. It will contain two classrooms.
Additionally, the school's front entrance will be relocated and the school library will be renovated, among other changes.
"The entire school is excited for Daniel Wright to be adding some fresh, new learning spaces," Principal Michelle Blackley said.
Officials expect the project will be completed by the time students return in August for the 2020-21 term.
In a special meeting Tuesday, the District 103 board approved contracts for 14 different tasks relating to the project, such as excavation, masonry, flooring and painting. The board agreed to buy a new rooftop heating, ventilation and cooling unit for the school, too.
The agreements totaled about $5.7 million, Superintendent Scott Warren said. The sum is smaller than the overall project amount because it doesn't include some purchases, like furniture, and other expenses, Warren said.
The board also agreed to hire International Contractors, an Elmhurst firm, to manage the construction project.
Nearly 700 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders attend Wright Junior High. Enrollment is projected to increase to more than 750 students by the 2023-24 school year.