Referendum construction update: central field house remodel leads phase 1; emergent HVAC and roofing projects also slated this summer

District architects and construction managers gave a detailed referendum update at the May 19 board workshop, identifying Phase 1 summer work and early planning for Phase 2.

The planned Phase 1 scope includes a full interior remodel of Central High School’s field house (flooring, bleachers, bathrooms, corridors and associated mechanical work), HVAC replacement work at Dot Key and West Milwaukee (including termination of a failing steam system and rooftop RTUs), and roofing replacements at four schools. The project team said Central’s field house package—bleacher removal, replacement of mercury‑contaminated sport flooring and significant mechanical and finishes work—carries the largest single scope. The team reported an initial combined budget for the Central field house components and related items and said preliminary estimating indicates savings that could allow logically connected additions (corridors, trainer room, concessions) while retaining contingency for unknowns such as remediation work.

Project leads described sequencing and timing. The construction manager (Ryan Schmidt, CG Schmidt) and architect (Nathan Schieve, Growth Design Group) said design and estimate milestones (schematic design, design development, construction documents) will be used as budget checkpoints; demolition for projects scheduled to start in June after graduation. The team set an aggressive goal to have Central’s field house usable for the first home basketball game (targeted before Thanksgiving/December), but said contingencies and equipment lead times could affect schedules. Facilities project manager Bill Smith and the CM noted emergent needs already identified—such as a Dot Key steam leak that is damaging gym flooring and a West Milwaukee chiller failure—and said those items were fast-tracked into Phase 1 planning.

Architects and the construction manager emphasized project-level budget discipline: each school’s referendum allocation is intended to fund that school’s work; realized savings at one school could be used for logical, connected additions at that school, but the team said it will not borrow budget from unrelated projects. District communications staff described a regular schedule for public updates (quarterly videos/mailers, monthly school one‑pagers and weekly Feature Friday social media posts) and committed to staff briefings so building personnel can answer community questions. The board workshop concluded with requests for additional detail and a promise to return with a Phase 2 plan at a future meeting.