Dist. 59 construction could start next month

Construction of building additions at Rupley Elementary School and Ridge Family Center for Learning in Elk Grove Village will likely start early next month, but students won't reap the benefits until beginning of the next school year.

The $5 million expansion project will include construction of a new multipurpose room at Rupley, which will allow all students to each lunch together. Now some students are forced to have lunch in the gym because the current multipurpose room is too small, said Tony Rossi, director of buildings and grounds for Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59.

The 10,500-square-foot addition at Rupley will also include two classrooms plus storage and mechanical rooms, as well as renovations to the gym and the current multipurpose room, Rossi told District 59 school board members on Tuesday night.

At Ridge, a 6,800-square-foot addition will consist of a new gym, two classrooms and storage space. Renovations will be done to the kitchen and the multipurpose room, which is currently being used as a gym, Rossi said.

Enrollment at Rupley has grown from 371 students in 2007 to 452 students this year, while at Ridge enrollment numbers 351 students this year, up from 290 in 2008, said district spokeswoman Betsy Boswell.

However, Rossi said, the additional classrooms are being built in anticipation of future needs, not because the schools are currently overcrowded.

“When you do construction, the more you bid, the cheaper it is, he said.

The board is expected to award the contracts for the construction projects on Monday, Oct. 25. If that happens, Rossi said he hopes ground will be broken for the projects by Nov. 1 so that excavation will be finished by winter break. “By then all the big, noisy stuff will be over, he said.

The construction schedule will take into account school schedules and will not take place on school testing days, he said. Both additions will be ready for use in August 2011, he said.

Instead of using a general contractor, the district selected 13 different contractors for various aspects of the projects, such as masonry, roofing, plumbing, painting, and more. Each contractor will work on both schools, Rossi said.

Altogether, construction at both schools will cost $4.6 million, plus up to $338,000 in additional costs for trailers, temporary heating and trash hauling. There will also be a $100,000 construction contingency.

Rossi said he was “very happy with the results of the bidding process, because he has worked with 10 out of the 13 chosen contractors, either for projects in District 59 or during his previous work in Northwest Suburban High School District 214.