Whitnall referendum update: schematic design ~ $78.55 million; Edgerton pool and addition scheduled first

Whitnall School District board members received a detailed update on referendum-funded construction on Monday, including a schematic design budget of about $78.55 million — roughly $550,000 below the referendum authorization — and a timeline that puts construction procurement and a phased build beginning in 2026, district project staff said.

The update matters because the work covers multiple schools, involves a large portion of district capital funds and affects playgrounds, parking and daily operations during construction, project staff said. The presentation described site logistics meant to protect students during the school year and said the district will keep current pools and facilities usable until replacements are completed.

Project presenters from CG Schmidt and district staff summarized work now in design development, noted remaining schedule milestones and described how the referendum scope splits between major construction and soft costs. Ryan (project budget lead) said the schematic-design-level budget came in at approximately $78,550,000, which includes a $500,000 tariff contingency and is about $550,000 under the referendum total; the larger, published project total was shown at about $79.1 million, with roughly 80% of that amount identified as construction cost and the remaining 20% as soft costs such as furniture, abatement and owner contingency.

The presentation said the design team has one month left in design development before moving into construction documents and that bidding will follow. The district anticipates beginning construction work in April 2026; the team described the Edgerton pool and addition as the first major pieces to start, with an Edgerton addition likely to begin later in the summer and many renovation scopes concentrated in summer months to minimize classroom disruption.

At Edgerton Elementary, the plan shows a courtyard infill with an addition that the presenters described as three 5K classrooms, additional resource and support spaces, a new main entrance and a one‑station gym (one full-size court). Presenters said the gym will include three rows of bleachers, six hoops and provisions for partitioning for simultaneous activities. The Edgerton project also includes renovated main office/reception areas, new classroom and restroom layouts and a canopy over one new entrance. Presenters said interior finishes will be shown to the district soon in a staged interior-design presentation.

At the high school, the project includes a new athletic lobby and a pool addition that the team described as an eight‑lane competition pool with an alternate 10‑lane practice layout. The pool design includes spectator seating in a mezzanine and roughly 480–500 fixed bleacher seats in the pool mezzanine, 200–250 athlete seats on the pool deck and room for portable bleachers (an additional roughly 20–50 seats) in the lobby area, the team said. Planned pool features include ADA ramp access, diving clearance with a deep end of about 12–12.5 feet, and a roughly 4‑foot shallow end.

Presenters and board members discussed site logistics: the team showed a proposed construction-fence line, said the old pool will remain in use until the new pool is fully complete, and described plans to avoid routing heavy construction traffic through primary parent‑dropoff zones. The presentation emphasized maintaining a green play area outside the construction fence and keeping 4K drop‑off access on 116th Street; the team said its first‑pass plan aims to minimize disruption to school-day circulation.

Project management and cost‑control tools were highlighted. The team said they use a live cost‑control log (software shown as “Join”) to track how design decisions change cost and to record the rationale for savings or additions. The presenters described an approximate cost-savings position at schematic design and said continued milestone checks will test estimates against bids.

Board members and the public asked about finish details, pool acoustics and spectator sightlines, office space for athletic staff and how portions of the scope will be contracted and staged. The presenters said they had engaged specialty consultants (including a pool consultant named Raymaker) and had done site surveys, geotechnical borings and equipment observations (for example, food‑service flow at the high school) to refine plans. They also described outreach ideas — posted board documents, quarterly updates, drone progress video and before/after visual materials — and said meeting materials would be added to the board packet and made available online.

No formal board action was taken at the update; presenters said the next formal check‑ins will come at design‑development and construction‑document milestones, and the team expects a follow‑up presentation in July and continued coordination as documents move to bid.

The district and consultants asked the board to note that schedule and pricing assume normal permitting and bidding conditions and that some scopes — such as roof and masonry replacement at multiple buildings — will be contracted directly by the district while other work will proceed under the prime construction contracts.