Waltham Elementary to expand? Board to hear design presentation

Waltham Elementary’s school in Utica still is new, but there is a space crunch – and that has set off preliminary talks about an expansion to the building’s north side.

Superintendent Kristi Eager told the Waltham School Board on Wednesday an architect from BLDD, the Decatur firm that designed the school, is working on an expansion design and rough costs.

These will be discussed at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, followed by a BLDD presentation at 5 p.m.

“This is going to be a very step by step process,” Eager said. “We’re not going to have the information all at once.”

The board would meet at a late date with a financial adviser to discuss bond financing.

Separately, Eager said there were no bidders for the former Waltham North property (minimum bid: $80,000) so it’s on to plan B: approach La Salle County to see if they’re interested in the property. Failing that, the board could put it back out to bid with a lower minimum.

Finally, in response to questions about the rebranding of Waltham’s mascot, Eager said the topic needs to be revisited with Waltham’s student body.