People passing the Illini Central Schools campus have probably noticed the continuing changes in the building outline. Construction crews have worked through the winter weather to make progress towards the completion of the district’s $12.8 million building addition. Most recently, the exterior panels on the gymnasium have been installed, and masons have continued to build walls for the interior of the office and lobby portion of the project.
Overall, the project encompasses a new agricultural education and industrial technology wing, a new grade school office with secured entrances, a new secured entrance to the high school office, and the addition of four new classrooms replacing the existing all-purpose room.
The scope of the project was determined through a process of meetings with district staff as well as community engagement activities held in April of 2022. The needs assessment showed a desire to strengthen the physical security of the building, provide increased space for grade school physical education, increase the size of the industrial technology and agricultural education shop, build dedicated classroom space for grade school music and STEM programs, and to host all IC athletic events and teams on campus.
A new grade school office will be constructed along with renovations to the existing high school/middle school office. Both offices will be equipped with secured entry systems to provide a layer of security for the buildings.
The gymnasium will be used during the school day for grade school activities. It can be divided into three separate areas in order to host physical education classes and indoor recess when the weather requires it at the same time. Middle school athletic activities will be held in this space after school and in the evening.
The Illini Central Board of Education approved the project on May 18, 2023. Peoria Metro Construction serves as the general contractor for the project. The Board approved a bid of
$12,846,000 for the project. PCM+Design serves as the architect.
The project is being funded through a combination of existing district financial reserves, federal grant dollars, and the sale of debt certificates. Approximately $7.9 million in fund reserves combined from the Education Fund, the Operations & Maintenance Fund, and the Working Cash Fund cover the bulk of the costs. The American Rescue Plan (ARP-ESSERIII) grant is providing $440,000.
The balance of the funds needed is being provided by the sale of debt certificate bonds totaling approximately $4.6 million. The Board recently completed the sale of these bonds, which will be repaid over 20 years. The annual payment will be approximately $345,000. Debt certificate bonds differ from most types of school bonds in that there is no dedicated property tax levy to raise the revenue to make the payments. The district plans to use revenue from the County School Facilities Sales Tax to fund this portion. The district will have the option of paying all or a portion of the bond balance after five years.
Construction began in July of 2023. Completion of the grade school office, shop area and gymnasium are projected to be completed in October 2024. The high school renovation will be completed over the summer of 2024. The renovation of the grade school all-purpose room will begin once that new gymnasium can be occupied. It is anticipated that the APR renovation will be completed in the spring or summer of 2025.
More images for the project can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/...