Indian Prairie School District 204’s board on Monday signed off on some more construction work at Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools, as the district’s major facilities overhaul continues.
The two bids approved Monday — which include stadium renovations and other improvements — amount to roughly $10.5 million, per figures from the district.
The Waubonsie Valley project approved Monday, set to come in at around $4.5 million, includes stadium improvements like a new turf field, bleachers, lights, goal posts, a concession stand, fencing and bathroom upgrades, per a district memo. Work is set to begin in the spring and be completed for the start of the 2026-27 school year — in time for the first football game of the season, the district says.
The Neuqua Valley improvements also include a stadium renovation, with a new turf field, goal posts and a resurfaced track, according to a memo from the district. The renovations also include two additions to accommodate incoming freshmen, who will be brought back into the main high school building after many years of taking classes at the Birkett Freshman Center.
The Neuqua work, for which the approved bid was just under $6 million, is also slated to start in the spring, the district says. The football stadium work is expected to be completed by the start of the 2026-27 year, and the rest of the work by the start of the following school year.
Bids for both were approved by the district on Monday.
The two high schools — as well as the district’s other schools — are currently undergoing significant renovations, largely funded by a $420 million bond sale referendum question overwhelmingly approved by voters last year.
The continuation of an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value, which was to expire at the end of 2026, is providing the money needed to repay the bonds while keeping the tax rate flat.
About half of the total referendum dollars are going to upgrades at Waubonsie and Neuqua.
Waubonsie, for example, is also getting an auditorium overhaul and a redesigned main office, atrium and commons space, among other upgrades. The board on Monday also OK’d an application for partial occupancy of the auditorium.
And major work at Neuqua is bringing freshman students — who have for more than 20 years spent their school days at the separate Birkett Freshman Center — back to Neuqua’s main campus starting in 2027. That project is also set to free up Birkett for other uses, like housing the district’s STEPS and Gail McKinzie programs. STEPS, or Supportive Training Experiences Post-Secondary, is a job training program for students with special needs. Gail McKinzie High School, also part of the district, offers a credit recovery program.
The $420 million in bonds are set to be issued through 2029 to fund projects through 2032. Payments to repay the bonds will continue for 12 to 15 years after the projects are completed.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
