West Bend board reviews near‑final Jackson Elementary design; updated budget set at $49.47 million

Design and construction teams from EUA and Findorff told the West Bend Joint School District No. 1 board that Jackson Elementary is the largest referendum project, that design development is wrapping up, and that bidding is anticipated in late fall or early winter with construction starting in spring and an intended school opening in fall 2027.

EUA designer Katie Lacourte said the project's guiding principles are safety and security, a welcoming and accessible environment and adaptability for future changes. The design centers the building around a double‑height central spine with the library as a focal point, and separates parent drop‑off (west entry) from bus and staff entry (east entry) to reduce site circulation conflicts.

The interior design uses a nature‑inspired palette tied to local features (Hasmer Lake, Jackson Marsh, Cedar Creek). Planned features include two bubble classrooms to allow capacity adjustments without additions, color‑coded wings for wayfinding, and a mix of single‑ and double‑height public spaces. The gym includes retractable bleachers and a divider curtain to allow flexible use for competitions and practice.

Site work and circulation details provided to the board include a two‑lane parent drop‑off configured to accommodate roughly 60 cars (a passing lane plus a stacking lane), a 28‑space visitor lot adjacent to the drop‑off, a separate east lane for up to three buses that doubles as staff access, and an overflow asphalt area south of the cafeteria that can provide up to 90 additional event parking spaces or extend queuing as needed.

Designers answered board questions about corridor windows and sightlines, locker and cubby locations, and storage. The team said corridor glazing was intentionally added to provide sightlines for supervision and to create useful, supervised collaboration zones; kindergarten storage will be cubby‑based inside classrooms, while upper‑grade lockers and cubbies will be outside classrooms with visibility from instructional areas; and the building includes distributed storage plus larger back‑of‑house receiving and storage rooms.

Budget and schedule: Findorff presented a design‑development budget that rolls in an additional $1,470,000 from the district's Jackson fund. The pre‑referendum Jackson budget was $48,000,000; the combined working figure presented to the board was $49,470,000. The district expects bidding in late fall/early winter and final pricing in early 2026, with construction starting in spring 2026 and completion timed for the 2027 school year opening.

Board members were told that furniture and environmental graphics shown in renderings are placeholders; wall locations and major elements are largely fixed at design development, but final furniture and some graphic treatments will be selected later and may be adjusted pending bid results.

Provenance: The design presentation and budget details were given to the board during the facilities report by EUA and Findorff and are recorded in the meeting transcript starting with the design walkthrough and the budget presentation.