MONROE — As the School District of Monroe prepares for the Jan. 24 community presentation of the first major renderings and 3D fly-through of the new high school, the Board of Education (BOE) received more positive news at its regular Jan. 22 meeting.

“We are at budget,” Monroe Superintendent Rodney Figueroa said. 

Just two weeks ago, it was projected the build was about 1.5% over budget — a very good mark rarely seen this early in development, with over-budgeting usually around 4-5%. But on Jan. 22, the BOE was told by Dan Chovanec, Senior Vice President of CG Schmidt, that the project is now expected to come within the district’s budget. 

That wasn’t the only good news, either. The permit for the access road from County KK to the school was set to be approved this week by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The traffic study final report is due in soon as well, which is needed to apply for the conditional use permit. 

With those affairs in order, all contingencies for the full land acquisition of the 71-acre property from B&S LTD will be satisfied.

An updated timeline will see bid packages going out soon, as the remaining pieces of the puzzle get put together before the project breaks ground later this spring, which is projected for late April or early May. The timeline also expects the school to be completed in about 22 months, or in February 2026. Move-in to the new school of equipment and transferable furnishings will take place throughout that spring and summer, allowing for classes to begin at the new campus right away in the fall of the 2026-27 school year. 

Jesse Duff of Fehr Graham gave the first report of the night, showing an updated rendering from a satellite view. The parking lots would  hold about 750 stalls, compared to the current lot size of just over 400. That’s in part because the current location utilizes street parking, which will not be available at the new school. The lots also allow for separate areas for bus drop-offs and parental drop-offs. The main entrance to the building is on the far west side near the 31st Avenue entrance, which will be considered the secondary entrance.

A notable concern brought up by board member Mike Froseth was the amount of “islands” and medians within the parking lots. The rendering plotted both islands and medians (12 stalls per island, 100 stalls per median, per city code) throughout the multiple lots. However, Duff said the project will request a variance on the ordinance in order to remove the islands, which has been done before. Removing the islands would mean less cost on curb-and-gutter, landscaping and concrete costs. It would also keep maintenance costs down and allow for snow plows to more easily clear the lots.

“It is a very big maintenance cost. We set up the design so that if we do get the variance to remove the medians and about half of the islands, then we can simply pave through them and we don’t have to redesign it,” Duff said.

While the traffic study final report is not yet in, Duff suspected the only location with a need for traffic change would be the intersection of 31st Avenue and 13th Street, near Beverage Mart and County K, with a potential need for a 4-way stop.

Chovanec gave a detailed, topic line by topic line look at the costs throughout the project. From soft costs to structural steel to metal fabrications, wood siding, carpentry work, HVAC, masonry, electric, plumbing, and windows, to flooring, athletic bleachers and theater equipment, the expected cost of the entire project has been whittled down to be $47,304 under budget.

“There’s a lot of people who have put a lot of time into this, in this room. I feel like when we get a chance to share this with the public, they will be as excited as we are,” Figueroa said.

The building’s footprint is expected to be 235,086 square feet at a cost of just under $350 per square foot.

Among the changes made to be more efficient, Michael Brush of Plunkett Raysich Architects moved some of the mechanical storage spaces, like HVAC housing, to rooftop penthouses. Some of the bio material for bedding for the four retention ponds could also be changed due to the more efficient use of space. The indoor field house was also shrunk in size, and the theatre brought in towards the commons a bit. That change means instead of a flat exterior in the commons, the theatre will now show a bit of a bow, adding to the artistic prestige of the facility.

“By pulling back in square feet, Michael really made the building better,” Mike Huffman of Huffman Keel, the district’s owner’s rep said. “You can see how the theatre acts as a heart of that building, and it didn’t originally. It was a flat wall. ... Now when you walk down into the commons and see that curved shape, that’s the theater. It impresses itself right there in the core of that building. And that’s an example of how we were able to save an impressive amount of square feet and make the building better.”

Features inside the building will include a two-story north-and-south corridor, as well as a second-story balcony that acts as a bridge above part of the commons leading to the science department. The Ag department will have access to a greenhouse. Tech ed classes will get their own wing, and rooms will have high exterior windows in order to utilize lower wall space for equipment. The rooms will also have windows facing adjoining rooms.

The main corridor of the building is the commons, which will move east to west across the length of the building and be 50 feet wide. The area will be used for everything from the eating area for lunch, collaborative space for classes moving outside their normal structured space, and a place for the community to hang out during events. 

“The commons was the piece that is most dear to me, because it’s the piece that everybody will remember,” Brush said. “Every team photo, every group photo — I think the kids are going to remember it the most; it will be where they spend their happiest times. To me, that is a really important piece. Everything empties into it. It’s just really going to be a major focus for the school.”

Entering the field house (gymnasium) from the commons, spectators will be more than 12 feet above the gym floor. Despite no upper deck seating, capacity for the field house will be about 1,800, which is more than the current gymnasium can hold for a basketball game.

A track wrapping around the entire field house will allow access to the fitness center and multipurpose room, which will utilize wrestling practice, competitive dance practice, as well as indoor batting cages. Fans will walk from the track down onto the bleachers.

The fan experience will be the same at the stadium field for football, soccer and track, which will be set east of the school building. A set of doors from the commons will extend to a patio overlooking the bleachers and the field below. The bleachers will only be on the west side facing east. Despite having all fans sit on one side, the seating capacity of the stadium will allow for about 2,350 fans — which is larger than what the current facility, T.R. Holyoke Field, can hold.

“I feel like we have a tremendously efficient building here. I personally am really thrilled with the product,” Huffman said.

More information on the budgeting process, planned use of the spaces — including potential locations for future additions — graphic renderings of the expected interior and exterior, blueprint plans and questions for the entire project team will be available at the 7 p.m., Jan. 24 community meeting in the current MHS PAC. Brush, Chovanec, Duff and Michael Hoffman of Hoffman-Keel, along with school board members, and district administration will be at the meeting.