The Moline School District Board of Education on Monday approved a lease with Western Illinois University for temporary space to house Lincoln Irving Elementary students while the district completes a planned expansion and addition. The board voted to approve the lease at an anticipated cost of $20,000 per month with an abstention from one board member.

Board members and district staff heard a detailed design update from Ligon Architects and Estes Construction and were told the project is moving into the final construction-document stage ahead of a fall bidding schedule. The district also outlined a plan for a naming process intended to include stakeholders from the Lincoln Irving and Willard communities.

The update matters because it establishes where roughly 350 students and more than 50 staff will be housed during construction, lays out the schedule that leads to construction and occupancy, and commits district resources to a multi-year capital project.

Architect Zach, of Ligon Architects, told the board the team is between design development and construction documents and is finalizing exterior materials, interior finishes and budget refinement. “So moving forward, like I said, we’re kind of in the tail end of design here,” he said. The board saw new exterior renderings that show a curved entry façade and a simplified material palette with precast at the gymnasium and two‑tone metal panels on the curved entry.

District staff described the temporary relocation that the board approved later in the meeting: QC Complex Buildings A and B at Western Illinois University’s Moline campus. The two buildings together total about 66,000 square feet and include roughly 22 classrooms; staff said the space requires only limited modifications and will allow the district to preserve teaching time and minimize disruption for students during the 18–24 month rebuild. The district reported they will coordinate technology work with WIU’s IT department and plan minor temporary fencing and other site work.

On costs, the lease motion the board approved is described in the agreement as an anticipated cost of $20,000 per month. District staff said that figure includes an estimated per‑month utility allowance and that the lease contains language to bill additional technology labor or actual utility overages if those costs exceed the estimated allowance.

District staff also summarized schedule milestones the board was given: release of bid documents (planned October 20), receipt of bids (planned about November 20), board approval of a construction contract (target December 8), construction mobilization in March or April, and projected occupancy in August 2027. The board was told the district expects to bid in October and to award during the district’s December meeting, subject to the bid results.

The board also heard that a naming committee or process is being formed to produce a draft plan for selecting the new school name and mascot; district leaders said they plan to bring a proposed engagement strategy to the board for input before beginning broader outreach and hope to conclude the naming process by February. District leaders emphasized that the process is intended to include stakeholders from both the Lincoln Irving and Willard communities.

The motion to approve the lease was moved and seconded (movers not recorded in the public transcript). The roll call on the lease shows Audrey Adamson abstaining; Ramona Dixon, Jason Farrell, Lindsay Hynes, Jeff Maness and Laura Severson voting yes. The board’s action was entered as approved.

The district said it will coordinate transportation with MetroLink to shuttle Lincoln Irving students to the WIU site and is discussing after‑school connections with YMCA and Boys & Girls Club providers; district staff said MetroLink staff favors the WIU site over previously considered alternatives because the facility’s vehicle circulation and parking reduce local congestion. District leaders also said a joint press release with WIU and MetroLink will be issued after the meeting and that family notifications will be provided in five languages.

The board will receive a further October presentation before documents are released for bid and a more detailed cost and construction plan when the district returns to the board.