Naperville Central High School
Major Renovation and Additions

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Naperville Central Renovation and Additions photo gallery

Progress updates for:
August, 2009
July, 2009
June, 2009
May, 2009
April, 2009
March, 2009
February, 2009
January, 2009
December, 2008
November, 2008
October, 2008

Changes in parking and traffic flow for the 2009-2010 school year

Due to construction staging needs, parking for students is very limited this year; only about 100 parking passes were issued (via lottery). Traffic flow around the building will also be affected. To view a map of the Naperville Central site please click here.

What will Naperville Central look like after the renovation?

This drawing shows the most recent revision of the NCHS front entrance presented by architects Wight & Co. at the March 16, 2009 Board of Education meeting.

For a virtual 360-degree video tour of the October, 2008 proposed NCHS exterior through your web browser, click on the link below. (Note: requires web browser or client software that plays WMV files; is a large file, allow time to download.)

NCHS - March 2009 Video of Exterior and Commons (WMV, 9 MB)

Progress Updates

August, 2009

• The bus turnaround on Porter has been completed in time for the beginning of school. The Steering Committee and NCHS staff discussed how to streamline the process of bus dropoff and pickup.
• Work is moving ahead on concrete foundations.
• The new water main is connected; final testing and chlorination will be performed. After acceptance, the old main will be removed.
• Utilities are complete under the track and a good part of the curbing is in place. The new track surface is scheduled to be applied during the first two weeks of October. The contractor is preparing to install the synthetic turf surface.
• The Steering Committee discussed improvements to the prototypical classrooms, based on feedback from teachers and students. Landscaping was also discussed with Wight.
• The design team met with half of the department heads to review office layouts.

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July, 2009

• Site utilities and underground piping are being installed under the football field.
• Foundation pile installation around the three story wing has been completed. These will support the south addition. Earth-moving equipment is swirling around the job site trailer in this area, supporting underground piping and foundation work.
• Abatement work continues.
• The Steering Committee reviewed the potential exterior design for a raised roof extension over the Music area.
• District 203 reviewed procedures from IHC and Wight for tracking cost estimate changes.
• The first foundations were poured for the south addition.
• Installation for a new water main along Porter was begun.

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June, 2009

• Construction began the first week of June.
• Inside the building, furniture and computers were moved to prepare for the first phase of abatement.
• The City of Naperville Plan Commissions voted unanimously to recommend approvial for NCHS variances.
• Lighting and sound for the Black Box Theater was reviewed.
• District and Naper Settlement staff met to coordinate construction and Settlement summer events.
• Soil from the football field was relocated and removed.
• Demolition is 90% completed for summer work.
• District 203, Wight and the Naperville Park District met to work on design of the athletic fields in the garden plot area.
• Preliminary lighting fixture recommendations were reviewed by the Steering Committee.
• The mobile classroom from Mill Street Elementary School was relocated to NCHS for use as a trainer's room until project completion.

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May 2009

• A letter was mailed to residents in the area of NCHS detailing variances that District 203 sought from the City of Naperville's Plan Commission on May 20. Signs were posted to notify the public of this hearing.
• Meetings were planned regarding closed-circuit cameras, door access control and intercom/public address systems.
• Plans for the electronics lab and faculty dining room were reviewed.
• The moving bid was approved by the Board of Education.
• The Steering Committee was given an overview of the mechanical and plumbing systems for the project.
• A new fiber route between Naperville Central and the District Administrative Center was completed.
• Groundbreaking for the renovation was held on May 27, 2009, featuring marching bands, local luminaries and alumni from across the years.
• The design team met with teachers who had used the prototypical classrooms during the spring. Discussion also included a review of student feedback as well as details regarding furniture, finishes, acoustics and electrical power requirements.

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April 2009

• During Spring Break, the following work was successfully completed: a new transformer was brought online and another was relocated; underground oil storage tanks were removed, necessitating main data cabling disconnect/reconnect with use of backup wireless connection; conduit and flexible ductwork pathway was installed for a new data cabling route; asbestos was removed in the gym and additional furniture was delivered for the prototypical classrooms.
• Entry stairs at the south addition were redesigned to locate the ramp in a covered location.
• The Steering Committee discussed the staging plan for the South Addition, revisions to the Culinary Arts area and planned for another round of design verification meetings involving mechanical, technology and detailed building systems.
• IHC and Wight met to refine the Design Development budget. Wight and District staff discussed the City of Naperville's review process.
• At a follow-up meeting with City staff, plat consolidation and zoning variances were reviewed.

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March, 2009

• The design team met with Student Personnel Services, the Culinary Arts program, Student Activities and the Art department. They also met with vendors to investigate the intercom/public address system, with the potential for an innovative solution combining computer technology and conventional systems.
• Wight presented exterior materials to the Board of Education.
• NCHS Technology staff members demonstrated the prototypical classrooms, illustrating how the new features will be used to enhance instruction. Representatives from Wight explained the classroom design and demonstrated use of new classroom furniture.
• Construction work began the first day of Spring Break, including asbestos abatement and construction involving power shutdown in a major portion of the building.
• Furniture options were presented for the prototypical classrooms, including chairs, desks, storage and a teacher’s station. Manufacturers will provide samples free of charge for testing in the classrooms.
• District 203 and Wight met with Naper Settlement and the City of Naperville to discuss storm water issues and construction coordination.

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February, 2009

• Wight reported that design is proceeding on schedule.
• Groundbreaking for the NCHS major renovation and additions is scheduled for May 27, 2009 at 4 PM.
• The design team met with Administration, Student Personnel Services, Physical Education, Athletics, Visual Arts, Culinary Arts, the Black Box Theater, Communication Arts, Food Service, Music, Science, LRC and Writing Center staff to review classroom, office, resource and lab spaces.
• Four prototypical classrooms were constructed over President’s Day weekend, with existing technology reinstalled and new audio-visual systems added. Marker board paint was applied to two walls with tackable wall surface on a third.
• Board Advisory Committee members reviewed preliminary options for exterior materials.

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January, 2009

• The design team met with Science, Math, World Languages, Social Science, Special Education and Career/Technical Education staff.
• Parameters for the prototypical classrooms were discussed by the Steering Committee in order to simplify design materials and expedite construction. District and NCHS Technology staff met to review technology options that will be piloted in these classrooms.
• Furniture vendors for the prototypical classrooms have been identified.
• The design team met with NCHS department heads and administration to discuss the “”Imagining the 21st Century Classroom” seminar. Naperville North representatives also attended. The group reviewed proposed classroom layouts and reached concensus on display technology, breakout areas and general furniture and storage requirements. These items will be incorporated into four prototypical classrooms that will be constructed in the existing building. Feedback will be sought from teachers and students this spring and incorporated into the final design.
• Moving of the seven temporary classrooms from the courtyard to the Aurora Avenue location was completed on time, including utility work, technology installation and testing and furniture placement. The entire process was completed during Winter Break to avoid impacting students.

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December, 2008

• The process of moving the seven temporary classrooms was begun during Winter Break.
• Pipes were trenched and installed to connect to the new City of Naperville transformer.
• District 203, NCHS and NNHS staff participated in an all-day seminar titled “Imagining the 21st Century Classroom” to hear presentations illustrating how seating, storage, desk, computers and display technology may change to accommodate changes in instruction. Afterward, key points regarding project breakout areas, multiple walls for writing and display, moveable storage, infrastructure for multiple simultaneous technologies and the importance of seating flexibility were identified by participants. Feedback from this seminar was used in classroom layout design.
• The NCHS Science staff reviewed proposed layouts for science classrooms, incorporating information from science lab site visits. Key points emphasized were flexibility in lab layout, combining of lab and instructional spaces, adequate storage, a moveable demonstration table, flexible power locations and infrastructure allowing multiple simultaneous technologies to be used.
• With flexibility in space usage having emerged as a design requirement, Wight commented that the cost of features to implement this flexibility could be balanced by eliminating much of the built-in casework of a traditional classroom design, which will also maximize usable space for students. Wight and District staff will determine how these concepts will fit within the Furniture, Fixture and Equipment (FFE) budget.
• Design for the plazas near main building entrances were presented to the Steering Committee and received positive feedback. The Committee reviewed layouts and location for student and athletic/physical education lockers.
• District staff and Wight met with the Naperville Electrical Utility to discuss power requirements, including establishing a schedule for the City to cut over to a new transformer in March, 2009.
• Wight and District staff toured science labs at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and Harper College.
• The Steering Committee reviewed design options for food service areas.
• A schedule was presented for asbestos abatement to take place during the summers of 2009 and 2010. This split schedule allows for construction work to continue in other parts of the building during the abatement.
• Wight and District staff conducted tours of high school food service areas.

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November, 2008

• Meetings were scheduled with NCHS department members to discuss classroom design and technology.
• District staff met to plan for Summer School, resulting in the decision to conduct classes during the summer of 2009 at Kennedy Junior High School. This will allow freer access to NCHS for asbestos and construction and to NNHS for site and pool work.
• The design team investigated NCHS plumbing piping.
• NCHS Science staff, District staff and Wight toured local high schools to review science labs, noting room, furniture, equipment and technology layouts.
• The Steering Committee reviewed typical classroom layouts to ensure that classrooms will have flexibility to meet 21st Century learning methods such as the inquiry-based model District 203 employs.
• NCHS staff toured two high school food service facilities.
• The first public informational meeting regarding the need for athletic field space was conducted by District 203 and Naperville Park District staff.

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October, 2008

• The design team met with Board of Education members in small groups to review the NCHS phasing plan, current budget, design schedule and value engineering options.
• Wight and the District met with the City of Naperville to review east parking lot exits. Design of this lot will be refined based on the decision of the City’s engineers.
• Wight received proposals for firms to perform the third-party plan review. This plan review procedure is a new requirement of the State of Illinois.
• At the Board of Education's October 20, 2008 meeting, architects from Wight & Company's design team sought approval for the Schematic Design book for Naperville Central High School.
• Representatives from Wight and District 203 met with the NCHS-area homeowners to report on the meeting with the City of Naperville engineers.
• Wight and the District attended the City’s Plan Commission Meeting, to be available for feedback during the Naper Settlement’s application for a Planned Unit Development (P.U.D.). The Plan Commission did not have any questions for the attendees.
• Wight will begin the Design Development phase of the NCHS project.

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Prior to October, 2008

Please see the main Building the Future page for information.