JOHNSBURG – The multifaceted $41 million facilities project in Johnsburg School District 12 is about 25 percent complete, the project manager said.
Dry conditions up until recently have been a major advantage for crews working on two additions to what currently is the Johnsburg Junior High School and three additions to Johnsburg High School, said Steve Straub, vice president of operations for Elgin-based Lamp Inc.
"We had fantastic weather this fall," Straub said. "All the crews have made great progress."
By the end of the project, which should come next fall, the junior high also will house third- through fifth-graders, making the building a third- through eighth-grade school, Superintendent Dan Johnson said.
An addition on the south side of the building will hold six classrooms, two of which will be science labs, Straub said. The second addition to the junior high building will be to the east side and will include several classrooms, a new kitchen, a new multipurpose room/cafeteria and a new gymnasium.
All together, the building will get about 42,000 square feet of new space, Straub said.
At the high school, renovations will add about 35,000 square feet, he added.
"There are three additions underway," Straub said of construction on the high school, adding one is for about six classrooms, one is a renovation to the entryway that will facilitate secure entry, and the third is for a new gymnasium, locker rooms and concessions.
"For the concessions, we're just starting foundations, and the walls will go up through the winter," he said.
The work is progressing on schedule. Straub said exterior finishes are being applied to several parts of the project, while plumbing, heating and electricity are being installed in other portions.
It's a project that has been in the works for several years to address the aging facilities, Johnson said.
Although elementary-aged students will be in the same building as junior high kids, he said students will be in separated parts of the new, larger school.
As for the current elementary school, Johnson said the school board has not yet made a decision about what to do with it when construction is complete.
The project is being paid for using voter-approved bonds. The referendum was approved – by a margin of 24 votes, the Northwest Herald previously reported – in March 2014.
Details about the project and its progress can be found at the district website, www.johnsburg12.org.