Henry-Senachwine School District #5 - Master Facility Planning - Update
Community Forum Scheduled for Tuesday, June 18th - 7:00 p.m. at HSHS Auditorium
June 11, 2024
At the May 29th Henry-Senachwine CUSD #5 Board of Education meeting, the District further reviewed and prioritized the preliminary facility renovations, additions, and associated costs. At this time, the main priority of the District is the demolition of the high school main academic wing and the construction of a new high school academic wing addition. Priorities also identified focused on the most immediate needs at both the high school and grade/junior high school, such as upgrades to electricity, plumbing, parking lots, immediate roofing needs, immediate health/life safety needs, and immediate needs from the maintenance study. Remaining renovations and improvements to both buildings would be phased in, as prioritized and as funding allows.
Preliminary costs of the facility project work at the high school is estimated at $22.3 million, this includes the high school addition estimated cost of $16.8 million. Preliminary cost of the facility project work at the grade/junior high school is estimated at $14.8 million. Henry-Senachwine School District has a current statutory debt limit/borrowing capacity of approximately $18 million and plans to fund the facility projects by issuing bonds to borrow the funding, not through a referendum. The District is continuing to prioritize the facility work, investigating ways to reducing project cost, and developing a plan for the facility project work to be phased in over years. In the event it is decided to move forward with the construction of a high school addition, preliminary timelines indicate the high school addition could be completed for the start of the 2026 - 2027 school year.
Note that the Henry-Senachwine CUSD #5 Board of Education meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 19th, 2024, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 18th, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the Henry-Senachwine High School Auditorium.
At the Henry-Senachwine CUSD#5 Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 18th, a community forum will be held to review the master facility plans, the general scopes and budget for the facility project work, review bonding and property tax implications, and seek community feedback and answer questions. Representatives from BCA Architects, Ltd., Midwest Construction Professionals, and Bernardi Securities, Inc. will be present to facilitate the community forum. The Henry-Senachwine Board of Education welcomes public attendance at this community forum.
A PowerPoint presentation of the schematic design is available on the District website at www.hscud5.org, under the tab “Master Facility Planning”. The District will continue to provide updates on its master facility planning on its website, under the tab “Master Facility Planning”. Animation models of the proposed two-story high school addition have been posted under the tab to provide a more detailed view of the building addition.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Miller
Superintendent