U‑46 board awards $67.4 million in contracts for new Elgin Middle School

The School District U‑46 Board of Education on May 5 approved awarding bidding packages for the new Elgin Middle School project totaling $67,427,140, plus Alternate 1 for $16,068, and authorized district administration to execute the related documents.

Administration presented a list of recommended low bidders for the multiple trade packages, including High Power Electric Company (about $12.35 million for electrical), Flowtech Mechanical Systems (about $6.996 million), Midwest Masonry (about $6.9859 million), and other contractors read into the record by Brian Lindholm, chief of staff. Lindholm told the board the recommendation was to award the packages to the lowest responsible bidders and to authorize execution of the contracts.

The vote was taken by roll call after a motion to approve the bidders as read; the motion carried. Board members voting “yes” on the record included Miss Kirk, Miss Khan, Miss Martin, Miss Nolan, Miss Schwartz, Miss Thomas and President Owens.

Why it matters: the awards fund the construction phase for a major capital project in U‑46’s capital program; administration said the costs are included in the district’s authorized project budget and requested the standard authorization to finalize contracts and proceed with construction.

What happened next: with the awards approved, district staff may sign agreements and move forward on contractor mobilization and project scheduling. The board did not attach any additional conditions in the motion recorded in the meeting minutes.