U-46 gearing up for construction of new elementary school in Elgin

Elgin Area School District U-46 is one step closer to starting construction work on a new elementary school in Elgin.

School board members this week reviewed bids totaling $42 million for the yet-to-be-named school, which will be constructed on the former site of the David C. Cook publishing factory at 850 N. Grove Ave. The board is expected to formally approve the bids at its May 5 meeting.

“This project represents a significant investment in expanding access to high-quality learning environments in a part of the district that has not seen a new school in decades,” U-46 Chief of Staff Brian Lindholm told board members at Monday’s meeting. “We can’t wait to get started.”

The new two-story, 88,00-square-foot building will be able to accommodate up to 680 students in pre-K through fifth grade.

It will be located roughly four blocks to the west of McKinley Elementary School, which was built in 1887 and is one of the district’s oldest and least accessible buildings, officials have said.

The district explored the possibility of demolishing McKinley Elementary and rebuilding on the same location, but that option was deemed impractical because of the small footprint.

Officials said the district received multiple bids for the various aspects of the construction project, leading to costs coming in lower than anticipated.

The district originally expected the total cost of the project to be about $65 million. But it now expects the price tag to be about $57.2 million, according to a memo to the school board.

“It was a very competitive bidding environment,” said U-46 Deputy Superintendent of Operations Ann Williams.

Lindholm said district officials have met with neighboring residents to address any concerns or questions and that the district plans to continue to meet with the group of residents as construction progresses.

“There was a lot of excitement about this project,” he said.

He noted that residents wanted to be sure the district kept the mature trees on the site. During a video presentation about the project, Lindholm pointed out that the building’s front entrance was designed around an historic oak tree.

The two-story building features an elemental theme of earth, fire, water and air, with different sections of the building incorporating one of the elements into design aspects such as paint color or artwork. The building will sit atop a hill overlooking the Fox River.

Staff and visitor parking lots will be located north and southeast of the building and outdoor playgrounds and playing field located west and southwest of the building.

Lindholm anticipates demolition of the former 145,000-square-foot David C. Cook building will start sometime this summer, with foundation work starting in the fall. An official groundbreaking ceremony will be scheduled after the start of school in August, he said.

The district anticipates welcoming students to the new school in August of 2028. McKinley Elementary will remain open as the new elementary school is built.

• Staff writer Rick West contributed to this story.