Architects and school staff presented a conceptual plan for a replacement West Rox middle school and outlined a multi-year timetable for funding and construction. The plan envisions a roughly 121,000-square-foot building sized for 720 students, an assumed state reimbursement rate of 60 percent and a preliminary rough cost estimate presented to the committee as about $125 million. Michael Lusaso of Antonacci Associates described the scheme and phasing and said the design remains conceptual and will change when educational specifications are finalized. "This particular plan ... was a sequential addition and renovation of the existing school," Lusaso said, describing a multilevel building that groups noisy common spaces — gym, auditorium, cafeteria — apart from academic wings and orients parent and bus drop‑offs to minimize neighborhood traffic. The plan assumes three grade-level cohorts (sixth through eighth grades) with classroom cohorts arranged around outdoor instructional spaces. Lusaso said the conceptual design assumes 24 students per classroom for the model used in the study but noted teacher‑contract limitations referenced during the presentation. Committee staff said the district will submit the formal application to the state in June 2026 if the project proceeds and that a tentative groundbreaking target is 2028 with projected completion in fall 2030. Committee staff cautioned the public that the cost figures are early, high‑level estimates that will be refined by education specifications and a professional cost estimate ahead of a capital budget request. "This is really the first number ... it's our first pass," a facilities official said, emphasizing the estimate is preliminary and that staff will develop a detailed budget between now and the December capital request deadline. Committee members and staff discussed site constraints, including a large existing level change and wet conditions on lower athletic fields. Lusaso acknowledged prior meetings had raised flooding and drainage concerns and said any redevelopment would need to address runoff and comply with applicable state statutes. The committee agreed to hold a community engagement session "on the seventh" to present the design and solicit feedback; staff said feeder schools will be personally invited and wider notice will follow. No formal vote or capital request was taken at the meeting; staff characterized the presentation as informational to align the board, the Common Council and the public on schedule and next steps toward a state grant application.