Board reviews recommendation to award 18 bid packages for new Elgin elementary school totaling $41.99 million

District staff presented a detailed procurement recommendation for a new elementary school at 850 North Grove in Elgin (the former David C. Cook property), including plans to preserve mature trees and mitigate neighborhood traffic concerns.

Brian Lindholm said the district released an invitation to bid March 6 and opened bids April 7. More than 100 firms submitted bids across 18 separate packages; administration recommended awards to the lowest responsible bidders with a combined base and alternates total of $41,988,842 for construction packages. Lindholm noted that the construction figure excludes professional fees, soft costs and furniture; staff estimated a total project cost around $58 million once those elements are included, which remains below the district’s initial estimate.

The recommended package awards read into the record included excavation and site work (Kellenberger Inc., $3,730,875), landscaping and retaining walls (KD Landscape Inc., $1,879,000), building concrete (Ed Fogarty Concrete Construction Inc., $2,329,610), masonry (Owansky Masonry Inc., $5,740,000), structural steel, roofing, mechanical and electrical packages and others that combine to the $41,988,842 total. Administration requested authorization to execute related documents and described a tentative schedule: demolition early summer, mass grading and utilities in the fall, exterior steel through mid‑2027, and a target for early 2028 substantial completion to allow an August 2028 opening.

Board members asked whether the lower bid total reflected changes to scope or a favorable bidding environment. Staff answered that strong competition produced lower construction‑only bids and reiterated that the district’s full estimate including soft costs would be closer to $58 million.

Administration noted that abatement work is already underway, that city permitting and demolition logistics remain active tasks, and that a groundbreaking ceremony will be scheduled after school starts in late August. The board did not record a final vote to award the contracts at this meeting; administration asked the board to consider the awards and authorized execution language was placed on the agenda for board action later in the meeting.