District 205 could soon embark on a $12.2 million construction project at the Galesburg Jr./Sr. High School campus that would result in a new district warehouse/maintenance facility along, major improvements to an athletic complex, and artificial turf for varsity baseball and softball facilities.
School board members on Monday will be asked to approve a low bid of $12,211,900 from Russell Construction to build what District 205 has named the Northside Project.
John Asplund, District 205 superintendent of schools, tells WGIL the bids came in at, or slightly below what he anticipated.
“We thought it could be as high as $15 million,” he said. “We were hoping for somewhere around $12 million, and it turned out to be really close.”
The project will include:
- A new 25,000 square foot pre-engineered building with dock and covered parking for the district warehouse. The former Rose Hoben Welch School on West Dayton Street would be demolished to make room for the facility. The warehouse will replace most of what the district uses at Hawthorne Center, with expanded food storage facilities, an office area, and some other amenities.
- New artificial turf fields at both Jim Sundberg Field and the GHS varsity softball diamond, replacing grass/dirt surfaces. The bid also includes an additional parking lot northeast of the baseball stadium.
- A 26,000 square foot expansion and other improvements of Wicall Gym. That project would include a new large wrestling practice facility; a new weight room; an indoor artificial turf area for indoor practices for football, baseball, softball, or other sports. Also included are batting cages additional restrooms, and other amenities. Wicall Gym also would receive air-conditioning.
The project, according to Asplund, will be funded through reserves, along with money from the 1 cent facility tax.
Asplund said work on the Wicall Gym project would start “right away,” pending approval of the bid and additional site planning. He said he expects that facility to completed by the start of the 2025-26 school year.
The former Gale Elementary School would also be demolished as part of the project. Both Gale and Rose Hoben are required to undergo asbestos abatement before demolitions work can start. Asplund anticipates the new warehouse facility to be open in August.
Streaks could play baseball, softball on turf in 2026
Work on the baseball and softball fields would start after the completion of the 2025 season, and the Streaks would play on artificial turf starting with the Spring 2026 seasons.
Legate Architects notes all construction work is scheduled to be completed by November 2025.
Administration recommends the board forgo a $150,000 option to construct a previously discussed roundabout and gates east of the athletic field house.
District officials believed the roundabout would have been beneficial for traffic control, but Asplund said, “I just felt like we could do without. It was a price higher than we felt like paying for.”
A total of 12 bidders became bidders for the Northside Project, with four submitting sealed bids. Bids ranged from the winning Russell bid, to as high as $14,050,000.
