Dr. Howard Elementary
About the project
The Dr. Howard Elementary project is a $17.3 million complete rebuild, allowing us to demolish the existing structure and construct a new school on the current school site.
What's happening now?
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Spring 2018 - After meetings with District and school staff and two community info nights (January 23 and April 10), the project management team reviewed and incorporated feedback. Design continued until the fall of 2018.
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May 2018 - The District celebrated and said farewell to the original Dr. Howard building on May 24.
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June 2018 - The campus moved to 1103 N. Neil St., Champaign (currently Columbia Center), where Dr. Howard was housed during construction.
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June 2018 - Architectural salvage began.
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July - August 2018 - Architectural salvage completed. Hazardous material abatement ongoing.
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September 2018 - The Champaign Fire Department performed fire ground operations training on site on Sept. 5-7 and Sept. 10-14.
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September - November 2018 - Demolition of the school building began Sept. 25 and the site was cleared to make way for new construction. Utility work occurred mid-September through November. A fence was up around the perimeter. James Street remained open during construction.
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December 2018-January 2019 - Demolition work was extended due to weather and was complete as of early January. Replacement of soil for new foundation was also completed.
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Early 2019 - Construction of the new building began. James Street closed in late February to facilitate demolition of surrounding properties and construction of the new school.
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Spring 2019 - The City of Champaign continued work on the West Washington Drainage Project. Foundation and utility work also was on-going.
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Summer 2019 - Work on foundations, site utilities, and paving continued through August 2019. Erection of the structure began with install of precast walls in June 2019. Steel framing, pouring of concrete floor slabs, and roofing continued through Summer 2019. Beginning in September and through Fall 2019, the exterior wall construction and interior wall framing continued.
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Winter 2019-20 - Roofing, exterior insulation, brick, curtain wall, and windows was scheduled for completion in December 2019. Interior wall framing and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure rough-in work continued. Interior insulation, drywall, and ceiling systems continued.
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Fall 2020 - Project was substantially complete in Summer 2020. Minor open items for landscaping, site and interior furnishings, and interior finishes are being finalized.
An update on all Unit 4 building projects was presented at Referendum Oversight Committee on March 2, 2020. Click HERE to view a PDF of the presentation.
What will the changes look like?
The images and video below show the latest plans as presented to the Board of Education on January 14, 2019.
Download the PDF Watch the board meeting(link is external)