Here’s how work on Highland schools is progressing. Will it be finished on schedule?
Highland’s school construction projects are on schedule and estimated to be completed on time, according to a presentation offered to the school board in October.
The biggest project is the new primary school under construction at the south end of Poplar Street.
In October, the contractors completed underground site utilities such as storm sewers and water lines. The sanitary sewers are in progress. Meanwhile the foundations and footings for the east, south and west wings are in place, and they are in the process of roughing in the plumbing and electrical systems.
Upcoming projects include more foundation and footing work and the steel framing. The $38 million project will house 40 classrooms in nearly 89,000 square feet, designed by FGM Architects and managed by Korte Construction. It will house prekindergarten through second grade for approximately 600 students. The project is slated to be finished by September 2024.
The other major project is the addition to Highland Middle School. In October, contractors put up the steel structure with welding and decking in progress, and put up the mock-up wall and exterior framing is in progress.
During the month’s construction, students and staff at Highland Middle School had the opportunity to sign their names to a beam that will support the hallway and classrooms of the new addition at HMS. The signed beam is already in its place in the new wing.
The nine-classroom middle school project is slated to be finished by April 2024. The budget for the addition is approximately $6.2 million to add 14,000 square feet to the building.
Other projects in the construction program include a new playground, parking lot and redesigned cafeteria for Highland Elementary. The projects are funded through the school construction referendum approved by voters in June 2022 for $40 million in addition to federal COVID funds, anticipated interest from investments, approximately $500,000 in corporate personal property replacement tax revenue and $1.8 million from district reserves.
Highland is also installing solar arrays at all districts except Highland Primary to reduce energy costs in the district.
This story was originally published November 1, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Here’s how work on Highland schools is progressing. Will it be finished on schedule?."