Board approves design work for $2.56 million high-school facilities package, including safety upgrades and team-room planning
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Summary
The Waunakee board authorized design work for a $2.56 million package of high-school projects that includes safety and security improvements, instructional demo spaces and planning for a team-room/inclement-weather facility.
The Waunakee Community School District board on Wednesday voted to authorize design work for a package of high-school facility projects with a planning-level total of $2,556,000.
Consultants and district staff reviewed scopes that included site-safety and traffic improvements (curb, sidewalk, gates and card access), building security and intercom systems, demonstration classrooms with appropriate furniture and equipment, cafeteria upgrades, a softball press box, and a proposed team-center/inclement-weather facility. Jay (facilities/budget presenter) said the estimates include a 10% contingency and escalation to the anticipated 2026 construction period.
Jay noted the district carried unresolved work from a prior referendum (about $1,320,000) on the maintenance tracker that could be applied to some items; he also described a potential deductive change order from the middle-school project (he cited $1,240,000 as a placeholder) and referenced expected IRS reimbursement timing and amounts tied to the middle-school timeline (district staff estimated receipt in early to mid-2027 and suggested a figure around $4 million as a prior estimate). The board discussed funding trade-offs between maintenance needs, levy reductions and capital projects.
Board members asked practical questions about the proposed team room, access for baseball/softball/soccer, whether inclement-weather space should prioritize tornado-code sheltering (which requires different construction) or a less-costly covered shelter, and whether fundraising could cover part of the cost. The board ultimately voted to move forward with the presented list, including sports-related team rooms, and authorized EUA to begin design work.
Next steps: design fees are estimated in a range (presenters cited $100,000—$140,000 after clarifying earlier estimates) and the budget and facility committees will meet to refine funding sources and timelines before bids or construction are authorized.
