CUSD 200 trustees receive budget and site-logistics update for Monroe, Edison and Franklin middle-school additions

CUSD 200 trustees heard a budget-control and site-logistics update on the district's three middle-school capital projects for Monroe, Edison and Franklin during a meeting that moved into a workshop setting. Joe Popaniklis of Nicholas and Associates told the board the district expects to implement the construction logistics plan in June 2025 and that new additions are scheduled for completion in the fall of 2026 with restored site use in spring 2027. "June 2025 is when we would implement this logistics plan," Popaniklis said.

The update covered site staging, parking changes, phasing and an overall cost review. Mike Dolter, senior project architect at Perkins and Will, described planned work at Monroe, including a slight southward expansion of the front parking area and a revised stormwater system. "The parking lot at Monroe is going to be expanded slightly to the south. We're also going to be addressing the stormwater," Dolter said, describing a shift to 90-degree parking to replace spaces lost for the new northwest addition.

Why it matters: the three-school program represents the largest near-term capital commitment in the district's plan and will affect traffic, parking and recreational fields at the school sites. Staff emphasized coordination with the Park District and city reviewers to avoid use of off-district property and to ensure zoning and stormwater approvals.

On budget, Popaniklis presented a schematic-design (SD) global budget assessment that the team refined while preparing the first issuance of bid documents. The SD numbers were shown in an "all-in" format (construction plus AE fees, owner costs, construction management and contingencies). The package presented a program total previously shown near $151.9 million that, after further refinement for project issuance 1, sits slightly under $150 million. Popaniklis said the Monroe hard construction cost in the control estimate is about $48.6 million and an all-in Monroe figure of roughly $63.8 million was shown in the packet.

Popaniklis described a placeholder amount listed for project issuance 1 of $8,556,793 that was refined to about $6.1 million through scope adjustments and ad alternates. The team is carrying a construction contingency of roughly 3.5% and a 2% escalation placeholder in the current control estimate. "We have a construction contingency of 3.5% built into this assessment. We have a 2% escalation placeholder," Popaniklis said.

Schedule and procurement: the first bid package (project issuance 1) is out to bid with a bid opening expected next week; Popaniklis said he anticipates a competitive field and that the board will be asked to approve contracts on March 12. He described three initial bid packages for issuance 1 (general trades, mechanical and electrical). Project issuance 2 was described as two segments (2a for additions and related site work to bid in April/May; 2b to bid in May/June), and project issuance 3 (renovation work) was slated for an October 2025 issuance with a November opening. The team said most addition work is expected to be bid and under contract by the end of the year and that the district will monitor contingencies and escalate conservatively.

Site logistics: Popaniklis and Dolter reviewed temporary construction fencing, a temporary aggregate staging area on district-owned green space, pedestrian and traffic flows from Manchester, and coordination to limit overlap between construction deliveries and school drop-off/pick-up. Popaniklis said the construction team will take possession of project areas as soon as school is out and that the team expects about a week for site prep before heavy work begins. He warned there will be an eight-week overlap of construction with the academic year at some sites and said the design includes measures to coexist safely during that period.

Alternates and allowances: the first bid package includes five alternates that provide bid-day flexibility: skylight/natural-light alternates (1 and 2), a human-centric lighting alternate (3) and two alternates (4 and 5) for different fixture types and associated controls. Popaniklis said two classrooms at Monroe will be outfitted as test spaces for human-centric lighting and furniture to gather early evidence of cost and benefit. He added that some rooftop mechanical equipment was pre-ordered and included as an allowance in the mechanical bid package to reduce lead-time risk.

Board questions focused on staging, park-district coordination, setback and zoning reviews (staff reported they have had two zoning reviews and are in stormwater engineering review), contingency levels and the human-centric lighting research base. Dolter said that while human-centric systems exist in commercial settings, nearby examples in schools are limited and the district will pilot options before deciding districtwide.

What the board will see next: staff said they will return with final low-bid recommendations for the project-issuance 1 packages in March, provide design updates before issuance 2, and continue regular budget-control updates. Popaniklis said restoration of disturbed lawns is planned for fall 2026 with restored public use in spring 2027.

"We're still going to continue preparing budget assessments along the way before we go out to bid," Popaniklis said, summarizing the next steps.