School District 205 is moving forward with plans to renovate the former Northwoods Church building to be the home of Bright Futures pre-k. The School Board on Monday approved bid specs for the renovation work, that is scheduled to go out to bid at the end of the month, with board members expected to consider approvals by the March meeting. Bryan Archibald of Legat Architects says that demo work and construction are set to start shortly after. "As far as construction goes, construction/demolition will probably start soon after [in] April or May," said Archibald over Zoom. "The indoor play area. needs to be done this summer, before the beginning of July. And then, the outdoor play area is on that same schedule, so there's some contract work that needs to get done. I think we have, June 1st or June 4th for it to be completed." Board member Maury Lyon clarified that the district was expecting Bright Futures to occupy the space by August of 2023 and Lee Marbach with
The $32.6 million project will include a three-story building with about 60 independent living units, 55 assisted living units and 21 memory care units.
The family-owned business opposes construction of a senior citizen housing complex on the farmland it has rented for several generations, a member of the family told the Town Council recently.
Bid documents will be coming next month for a number of projects, including a renovation of the former Northwoods Church at 940 West Fremont Street for Bright Futures. The board heard a presentation from Jennifer Hamm, the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations for the district, regarding projects that are on the horizon for Summer 2022. "This project is primarily the front part of our Northwoods building that we are renovating for a pre-k center. We're adding two additional classrooms, a much larger play area for our students. It's just going to be amazing." Hamm told the board that Russell Construction projected the cost for the Pre-K Center renovation will come to around $7.1 million. She told the board that almost $5.3 million could be paid for through federal ESSR III funds. Because the district is increasing classroom size, ventilation, and the number of classrooms, the ESSR III dollars can be used for these expenses. Hamm says that another million