An about $4.4 million addition to the fine arts wing of Huntley High School is on schedule to be finished before the start of the 2020-21 academic year, Huntley School District 158 Operations and Maintenance Director Doug Renkosik said.

The project – which is funded through existing state capital grant funding awarded to the district – will add a black box theater and additional space for fine arts programs in the fine arts wing of the high school.

During the District 158 Board’s Thursday meeting, Renkosik said roofing should begin Friday and once waterproofing is finished, interior work can be completed.

In 2018, the board approved a proposed fee from Wold Architects and Engineers Inc. in the amount of $30,780 for the schematic design phase of the considered improvements.

A preliminary estimated construction cost for the black box theater, scene shop, band storage and playbill gallery had totaled about $2,736,000. But in June, Wold Architects and Engineers and Lamp made a presentation of the outcome of the design development phase of the project and presented plans with a revised estimate. The board reached a consensus to continue with the project as presented with an estimated total cost of $4,427,958.

Although the project has stayed on budget for the most part, a change order was submitted to the board after it was discovered in November that the plans and specifications issued with the bidding process did not meet the design intent in the performing arts center’s lobby area.

Renkosik said an I-beam was interrupting a column at the main entrance of the center, which will require additional structural work.

The board unanimously approved the change order related to this discovery in the amount of $27,683 Thursday.

Renkosik said he expects most of the work to be finished by summer and for the expanded building to be fully operational by the start of the next academic year.