West Aurora School District may be able to add 4,000 square feet of space to the The Weisner Family Center for Career Development.
The facility is in the design and development phase. The West Aurora School Board recently reviewed site plans for the $4 million technical education facility on the district’s 15-acre campus located off of Edgelawn Drive and Downer Place on the city’s West Side.
The center will be built on a vacant parking lot on the north end of the campus closest to Reimer Drive. The plan for the 12,000-square-foot Weisner Technical Center, as it is sometimes referred to, will have workshops for specialized training in welding and machining, as well as workshops for other skills.
The work is part of the construction being funded in the district through a voter-approved $84.2 million building referendum.
Overseeing the design phase is Cordogan Clark & Associates Architects. Architect Kelly Schomer said the site plans include a bid alternate to expand the facility by another 4,000 square feet to the west.
“We’re hoping the economic climate works in our favor so we can incorporate it into the project. It would be great if we could do it all at once,” she told board members.
Superintendent Jeff Craig said the bid alternate to expand the facility is a matter of “budgetary restraint.”
“We are still within our referendum dollars. We are working hard to keep our budget in line. We like the style and size of the building. If the bids work in our favor, we will be able to add the 4,000 square feet,” he said.
Schomer said the design plans are constantly changing.
“We’re still working on the layout of the workshops,” she said, ” … it changes day to day to make sure everything is included.”
Craig said while the machining and welding labs will be permanent, the other workshops can change based on changes in technology.
He said the classes predominantly will be for juniors and seniors interested in pursuing technical careers.
“This isn’t where they are earning graduation credits. We want kids to come out with skills and the certification … these aren’t just for jobs. These are for careers. It’s a big difference,” Craig said.
The architect said they will continue to work through the design and development details with the intent to go to bid on the project in May.
“We would like to start the construction of the actual shell of the building in October so we can be under roof and work on the inside. We’re planning to have it completed in March of 2019,” Schomer said.
The West Aurora campus also includes the district’s central administration offices at 1877 W. Downer Place.
Also on the campus is the old Dreyer Medical Clinic site that is currently under renovation. The three-story building will house multiple programs, including early childhood and Pathways to Prosperity programs as well as students from the Blackhawk campus on Randall Road, which houses alternative education.
“We’re looking at it being completed in November,” Schomer said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
