Building Better Facility Project Updates

Increased Nurses' Spaces

Our new nurses' spaces will be larger in size, giving our nurses adequate areas to treat our students and prevent the spread of sickness. There will also be a dividing curtain available for our nurses to keep students' profiles and information confidential to others.

More Resources for Students

Our Ironclad Robotics program will have new spaces that will allow them to work on mechanics of their new robots to prepare for competition. These spaces will also provide high ceilings needed for completion of these projects.

Our Bettering Boilers food pantry will have a new space that will provide a more efficient pick-up and drop-off location for more goods to serve our students and families.

Overall Improved School for Our Children

With our newly renovated building and additions, the BBCHS experience will be improved for all of our students. Improved security with all students under one roof, new cafeteria space, renovated library/media center, centralized area for performing fine arts, better flow for students traveling to classes due to APT/PE classes being placed in the fieldhouse, and school branding that will display our BBCHS pride.

More Efficient Building Flow

The flow of our building throughout the school day will be much more efficient for students to travel from class to class. Instead of students walking across the school to get to their designated PE areas and disrupting classrooms, all PE/APT classes will be held in the fieldhouse. The current weight room will be repurposed and become the library/media center, while the weight room will also be relocated to the fieldhouse.

New Cafeteria Spaces

The cafeteria space for our students will be a more enjoyable dining experience due to the increase in space and access to resources that will help the cooks have a broader variety of meals they can serve to our students. Also, with the bigger cafeteria space, the amount of lunch periods will be condensed. The master schedule will not have to work around the number of lunches that have to be offered. Lunch periods will now be at a more appropriate time of the school day that will enable our kids to stay energized and focused.

Enhanced Instructional Spaces

There will be 15 classrooms added to our school to allow the mobile trailer classrooms to be eliminated. Classrooms will be placed in departments with collaborative spaces available for students to work together through projects and/or lessons. This enhances learning experiences for all students. There will be new STEM labs available, including 5 science-specific labs, which will provide adequate spaces for hands-on lessons.

Centralized Performing Fine Arts Spaces

The Performing Fine Arts Department will be moved from the Northwest side of the building to the Eastern-most part of the building. The current East Gym will be repurposed to accommodate all students who participate in orchestra, choir, and/or band. This will also place these students in close proximity with the auditorium for safe transport for equipment for concerts and performances.

Safety & Security: All Students Under One Roof

Before passing the District 307 Bond Referendum, BBCHS held community meetings to hear the needs of our school in our community for students, families, homeowners, etc. One of the main items that was communicated that needed improvement was the safety and security of our school. Currently, BBCHS holds classes for students who are enrolled in the TSP program and other general education classes out in mobile trailers. This means that not all students are secured under one roof in the same building throughout the school day. Also, since the hallways are crowded and prevent efficient travel through our building, countless students walk outside during passing period to travel to their next class - it is a faster solution, but very unsafe. With the new facilities improvements, new technology will be added to access doors with a new secured entry system. The north and east gyms will both be repurposed, and all PE classes and locker rooms will be in a centralized location (fieldhouse). This eliminates students walking outside to travel to and from their PE classes and causing disruptions to other classrooms throughout the building. All portable trailer classrooms will be eliminated and 15 indoor classrooms will be added.

Design Development Meetings Completed

Design development meetings took place on September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Improvements to each specific department at BBCHS was discussed, including the existence of STEM labs, collaborative spaces, and students all being under one roof. Each department will be highlighted in further updates soon. As a reminder: Design Development plans are preliminary and subject to change as the project progresses.

Continued Design Development Phase

We are currently in the Design Development phase where schematics of impacted spaces are currently being discussed. Discussions are more focused with the goal of addressing the community's top priorities that were identified during the 2024 engagement sessions. These priorities include enhancing instructional spaces, bringing all students under one roof to strengthen security, and maintaining alignment with the project budget. At this point in the project schedule, the design remains fluid - changes are expected. All renderings should be considered works in progress. They can be viewed here.

Design Development Phase

The Design Development Phase involves a range of important tasks aimed at refining the schematic design. During this stage, general structural details are finalized, and selections are made for materials, interior finishes, and building systems. Engineering works begins on key systems such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and energy analysis. A revised construction budget is also developed. More detailed drawings - including site plans, floor plans, elevations and sections - are produced. Finally, the preferred design option is presented for owner review and approval before moving forward. 

Board Approval of Schematic Design

At the July 14th Board Meeting, the Facility Plan Schematic Design was presented by members of BLDD and asked for the approval to continue moving forward into the next phase, Design Development. A public hearing was held at the beginning of the board meeting concerning the intent of the Board of Education of the District to sell $62,000,000 Building Bonds for the purpose of paying the cost of those capital projects approved by the referendum at the election held on November 5, 2024. This design was publicly approved by the BBCHS Board of Education, and BLDD will continue with the project schedule for our facilities.

Schematic Design (SD) Phase

Within the schematic design phase, an understanding of how the building will look and function based on the program will be established. Rough schematic plan layouts (spatial relationships, basic scale and forms) are presented. Estimated cost and information on the materials and building systems are provided. There is an owner review and approval of the preferred design option, and it is developed further.

BLDD Programming Meetings

Our architecture company, BLDD, met with all staff in a series of listening meetings to capture the nuance of the current design challenge, usually in groups of 4-6. This is an all-day, on-site affair, with the same format/questions for each group, covering the key elements for the design to respond to. The format is typically 45 minutes per group with 15 minute buffers for reset and wrap-up. Meetings can include entire grade levels in one meeting or mixed with others. In addition to faculty, the team should meet with custodians, food service, office personnel, etc. They like to meet with the Principal and his or her team and then the Principal and a few key educators and/or district administrators to get a high-level view as well.

After programming meetings, BLDD typically drafts the program and an Ed Spec outlining the goals for the project. This will guide the decision-making for the rest of the design and pre-construction phase. It is shared with the district/BOE and, most importantly, the programming and community participants.

Bond Referendum Passed

Our community of Bradley and Bourbonnais voted to pass the BBCHS facilities bond referendum. Results showed 54.63% voting in favor of the proposal. A 50% majority was required for the measure to pass.

Board Authorization of Referendum

On Monday, July 15, 2024, the BBCHS District 307 Board of Education authorized the administration to proceed with a referendum in November 2024 to assist in funding the District 307 Facility Master Plan. 

The board unanimously approved a resolution to place a question on the November 5, 2024 ballot to seek voter approval to issue $62 million in bonds to improve, alter, repair, and equip BBCHS with an updated facility. The new Facility Master Plan identified $70 million of priorities and improvements to address safety, security, mobile trailers, and renovate learning spaces. District 307 will be contributing $8 million from its operating revenue to fund the overall plan. This will save the district $5 million dollars in interest over the life of the bond amount. 

Community Engagement Sessions

Our school district has taken significant strides towards addressing the needs of our facilities through a collaborative effort with BLDD, a renowned architectural firm known for its success in partnering with school districts. Recognizing the importance of community involvement, we formed a facilitating team of dedicated community members. This team was tasked with leading the development of a comprehensive Facilities Master Plan, which was presented to the Board of Education in June 2024.

To ensure a thorough and inclusive planning process, we hosted three community engagement sessions, each drawing participation from over 100 community members. These sessions served multiple purposes: educating attendees on the current state and needs of our facilities, discussing potential improvement scenarios, and examining financial options. These meetings were vital in fostering a transparent dialogue and allowing community members to voice their opinions and concerns.

During the final engagement session, attendees voted on a preferred plan for upgrading our facilities. This participatory approach ensured that the proposed Facilities Master Plan reflects the collective vision and support of our community.