Bond Work & Sinking Fund Project Update: November 2024

With the passing of the August 2023 Bond, Berkley Schools teams are busy planning for upcoming construction projects. In addition to the Bond projects, the District has a list of Sinking Fund projects that are also in the works to improve and update our facilities. The Sinking Fund was approved by voters in 2018. Because both Bond and Sinking Fund projects are ongoing, these monthly updates will include details on both. 

The November update includes construction updates on the new maintenance building, construction updates for Burton and Pattengill, new site rendering and updates for The BEAR Complex, timelines for BHS and the ATP & Robotics space, updates on Phase II projects and technology updates.

These monthly Bond & Sinking Fund updates will be maintained on the District’s website. See below for updates on the Phase I projects that are taking place in 2024 and 2025.

Project Updates

Maintenance Building - Sinking Fund

The new Maintenance building is located at the Administrative Offices site in Oak Park, at the end of the parking lot, just north of the Norup playground. Construction is moving along on schedule. The outside structure is complete, outside concrete work is complete, fence posts are installed and the garage doors are installed. Inside, the HVAC system, plumbing, electrical, tile and ceiling grids are being installed. The building will be connected to its outside power source in the coming weeks as it gets closer to construction work wrapping up. The building is anticipated to be completed by January 2025.

District-wide Furniture Purchase - Bond - Phase II

Phase I of the furniture project is complete with a few punch list items to complete for the all new classroom furniture. Phase II(A) of the furniture project will receive their new furniture soon. This phase is for additional kindergarten sections, specialized classrooms, and the Early Intervention program at BBB. The design process for Phase II(B) (art rooms, media centers, music rooms, science labs, etc.) has begun. The design development phase will continue through January 2025 to allow for installation to begin in June.

Phase 1: Burton & Pattengill Multi-Purpose Additions - Bond - Fall 2024

Burton & Pattengill multi-purpose/cafeteria additions are underway. Ground has been broken at both sites. 

Burton

• Burton’s new multi-purpose/cafeteria addition will be attached to the building at the northeast corner of the playground by the gym. It will house a new lunchroom, a new kitchen, storage rooms, restrooms and will be a wonderful space for collaboration.
• The foundation footings have been marked out and cement pouring has begun on the addition.
• For the new playground area inside of the track, fencing is up and excavation has begun to prepare the site for the monkey bars, tubes, swings and shade sails.
• Once the new playground area is completed in the field, the Nadine parking lot and sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot will be closed to the public through the end of August 2025. At that time, Burton families and students will use a gate near the field for drop off and pick up.
• The street-side parking on Nadine plus the sidewalk will remain open through November/December. 

Pattengill

• Pattengill’s new multi-purpose/cafeteria addition will be attached to the building at the north doors, in the current concrete area. It will house a new lunchroom, a new kitchen, storage rooms, restrooms and will be a wonderful space for collaboration.
• The foundation footings for the new addition are ready for cement at Pattengill; the area has been dug out and reinforcing bars are in place. 
• Excavation of the baseball field is complete and that area is ready for staging for the project.
• A new concrete area will be poured to the south of the playground as part of the later construction plans.
• In addition to the multi-purpose addition, the District is adding parking spaces near the baseball field on Royal as part of the construction.
• During construction, both Royal and Oakshire will have short time periods where the streets will have construction to tie into the building projects. We will notify the community ahead of time when these projects are slated to begin.

Phase 1: BHS Performing Arts Wing - Bond - Spring 2025

Berkley High School’s Performing Arts Bond team details were finalized and the bid divisions were approved at the November Board of Education Regular Meeting. The Performing Arts wing updates include the Auditorium complete renovation, Auditorium lobby addition, the Black Box Theatre/Choir Classroom addition, a new instrument commons and upgrades to both the Band and Orchestra rooms as well as upgrading practice rooms. This work will begin in the Spring 2025 (Black Box in March, Auditorium in May) and is scheduled for completion in early 2026.

Phase 1: BHS Science Wing - Bond - Summer 2025

The BHS Science Wing planning and drawings are complete and the bid divisions were approved at the November Board of Education Regular Meeting. The science work includes a complete renovation and redesign for the lab spaces, updates to chemical storage rooms, and creating new lab spaces. The Science Wing will be packaged along with the rest of the BHS projects. The Science Wing project timeline includes work beginning once school is complete in June 2025 and the labs reopening in October 2025.

Phase 1: BHS BEAR Complex - Bond - Spring 2025

The District Field House project is now named The BEAR Complex (The Berkley Education, Athletics and Recreation Complex). The BEAR Complex includes a 60-yard indoor fieldhouse that includes a new weight room, team room and trainer room, an outdoor 120-yard turf performance field with lights, parking lot expansion and new configuration, and a grass field north of the turf field. The project came back from the bid process under budget and the Board of Education approved the contractors, minus landscaping and sports flooring, which will be presented to the Board at the January meeting. Asbestos abatement in the tunnels near the current Maintenance Annex is complete. Demolition will begin during the month of April 2025. See the new site plan, below.

Phase 1: BHS Pool - Bond - Spring/Summer 2025

The professional teams are working on finalizing plans for the space to prepare the work for the bid documents. The original pool scope includes a new HVAC system, new starting blocks, new diving board, updating tile areas, redoing the pool office and restroom and updates to the chemical system. In addition to this work, the team is adding a new filter system, additional tile replacement scope, a new timing system and additional plumbing work. Pool updates will take place starting as soon as the boys swim season is complete in March 2025.

ATP & Robotics at former Cana Lutheran Church - Sinking Fund - Spring 2025

The Adult Transition Program (ATP) and Robotics programs will be housed at the former Cana Lutheran Church. The work for both of these projects was bundled with the BHS Bond projects and the bid divisions were approved at the November Board of Education Regular Meeting. The goal is to have ATP in their new space by August 2025 for the start of the school year and Robotics soon after and prior to their 2025 build season. Asbestos abatement has been taking place during the month of November and is nearing completion. The District notified the neighbors of the work taking place as well.

Phase 2: Angell & Rogers Multi-Purpose Additions - Bond - Fall 2025

Design team meetings have begun to plan and shape the Bond work for Angell and Rogers multi-purpose/cafeteria additions, gym updates and any resulting playground adjustments. Design teams consist of building staff, District staff, architects and construction management team. These teams are led by Stantec, the District’s architects, and a core team of Berkley Schools Administrative staff. The team has held three meetings so far and are working to refine details to inform the final design.

Technology - Bond

New interactive flat panels and new classroom sound system installation will begin at Berkley High School in December. The team will work through 3-4 classrooms each day and will have the project completed in early January 2025. In addition, the District is working to improve the fiber network and has hired IDS as a technology consultant to assist with Bond project planning specific to technology needs. The new staff laptop distribution plan is coming together and will begin in December.

Team Meetings

The District teams participate in Steering Committee meetings twice a month with Stantec (architecture, engineering, design), McCarthy & Smith (construction management), and SES (engineering and mechanical systems) to plan timelines of construction, prepare bid documents, as well as pour over details of the scopes of work. Each project has a standard sequence of work: design phase, project cost estimating, bidding for contractors, awarding contracts, construction phase (demolition and building) and finally, project completion.