Yorkville School District Y115 seeks architectural firm for future building needs

YORKVILLE – With student enrollment continuing to grow and school buildings nearing capacity, Yorkville School District Y115 is planning ahead to meet the demand.

The first step is hiring an architectural firm to perform design services for new buildings, building additions and remodels, along with health and life/safety projects.

At a committee-level meeting on Sept. 11, The Yorkville School Board reviewed plans for inviting architectural firms to submit proposals for performing the work, including quotes for the fees they would charge.

The board is expected to give final approval for the district administration to solicit statements of qualification from architectural firms with at least five years experience in the Chicagoland area performing design services for school buildings.

Yorkville’s student enrollment on the sixth day of classes, which is used as the benchmark in Illinois for reporting official figures to the state, stood at 7,099, up from 6,921 last year.

“There is growth here and we want to address it,” board member Jason Demas said. “We all know there is a lot on the horizon.”

One project out on the horizon would be construction of a second middle school, but such a project is still likely several years in the future and would almost certainly require voter approval of a bond referendum first.

Enrollment at Yorkville Middle School, which is home to the district’s seventh- and eighth-grade students, was 1,106 on the sixth day of classes.

The School Board is expected to authorize the administration to solicit proposals at its Sept. 25 meeting.

District Interim Co-Superintendent Timothy Kilrea said the district will scrutinize the architectural firms’ expertise and the fees they would charge for projects.

“The board is serious,” Kilrea said. “We have to look at facilities.”