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District 58 construction update: referendum work largely committed; Herrick expected to need extra contingency

Downers Grove Grade School District 58 Board of Education · December 17, 2025
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Summary

Construction managers reported 87% overall completion and said 98% of referendum costs are committed; they asked the board to expect a December request to reallocate contingency funds to cover roughly $250,000 for Herrick.

Construction manager Jordan Schulz (Huffman Kiel) presented the board with a fall update on referendum projects on Nov. 10, saying the district is 87% complete on referendum-related construction and that 98% of projected hard costs have been committed through bid packages and purchase orders.

Schulz reviewed the phases: middle-school summer work is wrapping up with O'Neil and Herrick nearing substantial completion; elementary phase 3 bid group results were presented and the administration recommended awards on the consent agenda. He said commissioning, punch-list items and seasonal testing of mechanical systems remain.

On contingency and finances, Schulz said the owner contingency currently shows about $3.4 million available after prior pre-allocations and projected savings; he told the board that Herrick will likely require roughly $250,000 of additional contingency and that staff will return in December with a proposed reallocation to cover that overage. He also said the district is tracking estimated savings from earlier phases (Schulz cited approximately $600,000 of phase-2 savings) and some phase-3 bid savings shown in the slide materials.

Board members asked for the rationale behind alternates that were accepted or rejected for phase 3 and where work differed from phases 1 and 2. District staff and the facilities team explained that alternates were evaluated for equity across elementary schools, equipment lifecycle and whether items were critical repairs versus nice-to-have upgrades.

What the board approved: The board later approved the construction consent agenda, including phase 3 elementary bid group 2, as part of the consent items presented that evening.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 1152; topfinish SEG 1679.