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Oshkosh Area School District: referendum projects 50% designed; auditorium and playground work advancing
Summary
District staff reported progress on 2025 referendum projects, including 50% completion of Franklin and Oakwood drawings, an Oshkosh North auditorium planning team and site visit, a likely air-conditioning bid, and a full redo planned for Karl Schrager playground.
Oshkosh Area School District officials on Oct. 8 updated the school board on the status of projects funded by the 2025 referendum, saying initial design work is roughly half complete for Franklin and Oakwood elementary schools and that planning has begun for a new auditorium at Oshkosh North High School.
The referendum update matters because the work will change building layouts, affect parking at Oshkosh North and disrupt some school operations during construction next year, district staff said.
District administrator Mr. Yerke and Drew Neehans, the district’s executive director of business services, told the board the Franklin and Oakwood projects are at about 50% of initial drawings and that planners are trying to do value engineering at the start of design to reduce the risk of cost overruns. "We're about 50% complete on the initial drawings," Yerke said during the update.
Staff said the Franklin and Oakwood work will not change student placement this school year but that there will be “a bit of a shell game” next year as construction proceeds. Major moves, they said, are planned to occur during spring break where possible.
The Oshkosh North auditorium project now has a planning team that includes fine-arts staff and central-office personnel; that team is scheduled to visit brand-new auditoriums in Sun Prairie on Nov. 7 to gather design ideas. Staff warned the auditorium work will likely require closing the west parking lot at Oshkosh North and could change how parking passes are issued next year.
Other referendum-related items mentioned by staff: - An air-conditioning bid is expected to be issued soon, with internal planning work led by Mr. Fox. - The Karl Schrager playground will be replaced rather than patched, described by staff as a "complete redo" because of liability and age of existing equipment; staff noted the new design will include full accessibility features. - A memorial dedication (the Merrill Memorial Corner) is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17, at 11:30 a.m.; plaques and finishing touches remain outstanding.
Yerke described additional design features being considered for the new and remodeled spaces, including collaborative learning areas, sound-treated music rooms and accessible cafeteria staging. He said some furniture shown in preview images is placeholder stock photography and will be selected later.
District staff invited questions and emphasized efforts to minimize educational disruption. They said signage and consistent rules about after-dark use of fields and courts are being discussed, and that the facilities and finance committee will address consistency across sites.
Looking ahead, staff said work on the new middle school planning will begin soon and that further updates will be provided to the board as designs are finalized.
Quotes used in this article come from the Oct. 8 meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers listed below.
