Contractors discuss Joliet District 86 plans for 2 new junior high schools

Joliet — Joliet Public Schools District 86 is building two new schools starting in September and on Tuesday the district hosted an open house for subcontractors interested in bidding on the projects.

The event was aimed specifically at attracting minority- and women-owned businesses.

Over the next three years the district plans to replace Hufford Junior High, 1125 N. Larkin Ave., and Gompers Junior High, 1501 Copperfield Ave., with brand-new buildings then demolish the originals to make space for expanded parking and athletic fields.

The new schools are expected to be open by the 2026-27 school year.

Both new buildings will sit on the same parcels as the originals but will be reoriented to allow students to continue attending the current schools while the replacements are built.

“The district decided to replace the buildings, ultimately, because the age of their existing infrastructure has reached the end of its useful life,” said Andrew McCall, principal of Green Associates, the architecture firm that designed the new schools. “They’re no longer supporting modern teaching methods, and the spaces are consistently small and difficult to upgrade.”

Both projects are being funded by a $99.5 million bond issue referendum voters approved in April 2023.

The layouts for the two new buildings are largely identical and bigger than their existing schools. However, Hufford will be the larger of the two to accommodate its higher student population.

The new Hufford building measures 166,000 square feet, while the Gompers building, which currently has a population about 40% smaller than Hufford’s, will take up 140,000 square feet, with space for an addition if population growth requires it.

Both schools will include a three-story wing of classrooms, with one grade expected to occupy each floor, as well as a one-story wing hosting the school offices, band and choral rooms, library, cafeteria and kitchen spaces and dedicated life skills and makers lab rooms. Each building will include a new gym and a multipurpose space which can be used as an auditorium or secondary gym.

Contractors, especially female- and minority-owned businesses, were encouraged to attend the session Tuesday at Hufford, as well as a second meeting at Gompers on June 17 to get an idea for the project and ask questions before the bid materials are officially released.

“There’s no requirements for who will be selected, but we wanted to encourage as many local contractors as we could to come out and see if they wanted to apply,” District 86 Director for Communications Sandy Zalewski said.

During the presentation, the team from Green Associates and Joe Papanicholas, the vice president of general contractor Nicholas and Associates, noted that there is no requirement for contractors to use union employees, but the contract will require a prevailing wage be paid by any contractors hired.

“Construction of these schools provides a great opportunity for the area’s talented tradesmen and tradeswomen to be part of a meaningful project that will benefit the students and families of Joliet for years to come,” Papanicholas said.

Construction timeline

Construction on both schools is anticipated to begin in September 2024, with the new schools being completed by summer 2026 and demolition of the old buildings slated for the following year.

One notable exception will be the gymnasium at Gompers, which will be prioritized during the construction of the new school, since the old gym sits on part of the footprint for the new building.

According to Green Associates Associate Principal Andrew Jose, the plan is to build the new gym at Gompers first, along with the back portion of the building during the 2024-25 school year, then demolish the old gym during summer 2025. The new gym will be the first piece of either project to open, and students will have access to it in the 2025-26 school year while the rest of the building is completed.

The new buildings are being constructed on existing parking lots and athletic fields. During the demolition period, the district plans to have the schools share sports facilities with District 86′s other two junior high schools, Dirksen and Washington.

Once the old buildings are demolished, the Gompers site will receive a full-size soccer field and additional parking space and drop-off lanes, while Hufford will see a new full-size running track with a smaller field in the middle, as well as expanded parking.

Both of the properties will use underground storm management under the new fields and geothermal wells as a source of green energy for the district.

“We’re fortunate to have the land around the buildings so we can do this while keeping the schools in session at the same time,” Zalewski said.

What will go out to bid

Bids can be submitted for work including excavation, site utilities, concrete, structural steel, mechanical/HVAC, electrical, plumbing, masonry, roofing, flooring, painting, fire protection, landscaping and asphalt paving, although more specific bid packages determining the scope of each project segment will be available at the June 17 meeting. Both projects are being bid separately, so contractors can choose to bid on both schools.

The bid documents for Hufford will go online July 8, and the Gompers documents will follow July 15. Contractors who plan to bid must attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting July 10 for Hufford or July 17 for Gompers, although the time and location of those meetings have not been set.

Bids for the Hufford are due by July 31, followed by Gompers on Aug. 8. Contracts for both schools will be awarded at the Aug. 14 District 86 school board meeting.