Minooka CHSD 111 reviews updated renderings for Central and South campus projects; bid planned for February

Administrators presented updated renderings and a revised timeline for multi‑year building projects at the district’s Jan. 8 committee meeting, saying the district will be ready to put the work out to bid in February and that construction will last about 18 months.

The presentation covered a new Career Technical Education (CTE) wing at Central Campus and a large field‑house and addition at South Campus. “We’re a little bit behind our original schedule, but not in a bad place. We’ll be ready to go to bid in February,” the Administrator said while moving through renderings showing new lab spaces, roll‑up garage doors to flex classroom area, open student seating, a commercial kitchen and expanded athletic and maintenance facilities.

The designs show new and remodeled spaces: CTE labs with stained, sealed concrete and LVT in lab zones, open shelving in foods labs, and roll‑up doors that open flexible lab space into circulation areas. For athletics, the field house drawing shows four courts, multiple basketball hoops (the presentation referenced up to six hoops per court in some layouts), a rubber sports surface and a dedicated track with long‑jump and triple‑jump pits and pole‑vault area. The Administrator said some courts will have adjustable hoops for youth programs and that bleacher and equipment storage is sized for multiple portable bleacher sets.

Design details flagged during the meeting included: exterior brick color (brick samples will be provided as design decisions near), rooftop mechanical units (renderings omit them but units will be present), increased ceiling heights in selected spaces for light and ventilation, and secure, lockable outdoor storage near CTE learning yards. On safety, a board member asked about lockdowns and the Administrator said many shop and lab areas include interconnected interior storage/escape spaces, though “there’s gonna be some that they can’t” relocate to during a lockdown.

The presentation also described community‑use features: concessions adjacent to the gym, restrooms for community users, a maintenance shop attached to South Campus (replacing an existing shop currently in a boiler room), and a proposal to allow district residents to walk/jog the field house track in early morning and evening hours. The Administrator said the air‑conditioned field house could serve as an indoor backup for graduation and that the district had priced air‑conditioned rooftop units as its default; custom heat‑only units were materially more expensive.

Contracting and procurement notes: administrators said the CTE and architect team asked for additional time during design to limit change orders and added costs on a project that will extend beyond a single summer. The district intends to use bond proceeds to fund the capital work; financing details were discussed separately in the meeting’s finance report.

What’s next: administrators will bring brick and finish samples as the design finalizes, continue coordination with village planning and zoning (both villages have reviewed the projects), and schedule outreach as the district moves from design to bidding. The Administrator said stakeholders will track spike use, surface specifications, and storage/rigging for volleyball nets and ceiling‑hung equipment as procurement approaches.