Seneca High School Gymnasium Updates
Below in chronological order (most recent at the top) you will find all Gymnasium Updates that have been brought to the attention and discussed with the Administration AND the Board of Education on a monthly basis. (The links below are not ADA compatible)
From the Seneca High School Board of Education Gymnasium Design Group, guiding principles were established:
•Community proud of end product
•Multi-use beyond gym
•More family friendly; Eliminate early and late practices
•Consolidate facilities
•Tournament facility
•Increased community access (West Campus)
•Engage community in transparent fashion
Seneca High School Gymnasium Addition - Milestone Schedule:
Gymnasium Addition - Milestone Schedule
Seneca High School Gymnasium Addition Project:
Video #10: September 15th, 2023
Video #14: November 21st, 2023
Video #16: December 26th, 2023
Video #19: February 21st, 2024
February 2024 Update:
February brought many contractors completing their scopes of work in our gymnasium. Carroll Seating completed the batting cage mezzanine remodel. They also completed all of their bleacher installation and wall mats. ProStar Floor Surfaces completed the gymnasium flooring and finished installing the 2-lane running track this last week (striping will be completed the first week of March). Our restrooms only have door handles to complete and will be ready for the first track meet of the season.
At the February 21st Board of Education meeting, the district had paid for about 83% of the project. Today, on March 1st we are nearing the 90%+ completion phase of the gym. We excitedly announced today our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday April 10th at 6 PM – OPEN TO ALL OF THE PUBLIC, to come see our new addition.
Excitingly, we also partnered with Bannerville to complete our student-driven branding project in the hallway that takes Irish fans towards our concession stand and the New Commons. Groups of students dug through old yearbooks to select pictures of Irish Pride from each sport to be featured on the bare walls near our gym. The students did a terrific job highlighting Irish successes of the past.
What’s left to complete? The outside metal panel siding has been delayed due to supplier fabrication issues. The exterior wall and roof tie ins, as well as the exterior signage cannot be completed until that is installed. The canopy in the plaza is nearing completion as well. Our interior audio system, interior signage, various inspections, and final punch list items should be completed in March. We broke ground on March 15th, 2023, and ironically enough final inspections are exactly one year to the date in 2024!
January 2024 Update:
As we bring a wet January to a close, we are beginning to see major progress with athletic equipment installation inside the gymnasium. Despite weather related closings and shipping delays, we accepted three semi-truck deliveries of bleachers and sporting goods equipment, including bleachers, wall mats, turf flooring, batting cage nets, and track flooring. As of the January 17th Board of Education meeting, the district has paid 81% of the project total. We are thrilled with the look of our hardwood flooring aesthetics. The paint and two-tone stain performed by ProStar Surfaces turned out terrific. Carroll Seating began bleacher installation this week. The process of assembling the bleachers brings back childhood memories of erector set completion, but on a gigantic scale. Our crews from Vissering Construction, Block Electric, and Dekalb Mechanical (confirm this) are completing their portions of the project.
In addition to the work in the gymnasium, the track restrooms, the referee room, and storage areas are nearing completion. In our current gymnasium balcony remodel, the batting cage was installed, and turf flooring began installation this week. We anticipate this area to be owner occupied before spring seasonal practices begin on Monday February 26th. This is great news! The coordinated efforts of Vissering Construction, ProStar Surfaces, and Carroll Seating to complete this space before spring practices was greatly appreciated.
As the weather hopefully improves, we will resume some exterior work including metal siding panel installation, custom canopy installation in the plaza, digital marquis sign installation, and roofing ladder and roof tie in completion.
We are in the home stretch, completing tasks like “above ceiling inspections,” bathroom fixture installation, furniture deliveries, athletic and sporting equipment deliveries and installation, brick donor wall installation, TouchPro SHS history TV installation and other electronics installation, final exterior installations, etc. We remain on schedule for a late March or early April community ribbon cutting ceremony.
December 2023 Update:
With the holiday season closing and the calendar wrapping up 2023, the gymnasium addition project is nearing its conclusion. First and foremost, the installation of the maple grade one hardwood flooring was completed throughout the gymnasium. This was a major undertaking that took two weeks to install, including the sub floor and board by board nailing. The hardwood flooring was the highlight of the work in December.
At the December 20th Board of Education meeting, the district had paid for about 76% of the project. We are anxiously awaiting the sanding, staining, painting, and sealing of the three basketball courts. Once that process has been completed, we anticipate bleacher and wall pad delivery and installation at the end of January and into February.
The current gymnasium mezzanine remodel also happened during December. As part of this project, permanent batting cages for baseball, softball, and golf will be completed. The yellow railings were cut out, the press boxes removed, and a CMU wall built to divide the space. Bleachers were removed, walls were sanded and painted, and the area is currently being prepped for batting cage installation.
During the month of December most final touches on the outside of the building and roadway were buttoned up including landscaping for the winter season. While we have run into some supply chain concerns regarding our metal paneling on the outside walls, we remain on schedule for a late March ribbon cutting ceremony and April 12th guest speaker.
In December, we:
- Installed the Grade 1 Maple hardwood flooring and sub flooring. The rest of the hardwood flooring process will continue throughout January with a tentative completion date of 1/12. Bleacher and Wall Pad delivery will follow after the flooring cures.
- Mezzanine demolition, CMU wall creation, curtain installation, and floor sanding completed. Batting cages, indoor turf, and wall pad installation will happen throughout January.
- Continued installation of all electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the facility, as well as ceiling grids, drywall, painting, etc.
November 2023 Update:
As we head into the winter months, we wrapped up November’s construction of the gymnasium addition with a lot of great progress. First and foremost, the addition was weatherproofed, including all roofing completed and secured for the wintry weather ahead. The district has paid for about 70% of the project and while we have had a few supply chain delays, we remain on schedule for a late March ribbon cutting ceremony. The administration is beyond excited to host our first event inside the new gymnasium on April 12th, as former Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball Player Chris Singleton will present a motivational speaking assembly to our student body. As one can see in the pictures below, a lot of great work was completed in November, shepherded by Shales McNutt Construction Management and Wold Architects & Engineers. At the end of the month, the expansive hardwood flooring was delivered, and installation will begin the first week of December.
In November, we:
- Completed all roadway, sidewalk, parking, curbing, and striping of the driving and walking areas. We re-opened all traditional parking and delivery patterns as well.
- Installed all exterior parking lot and roadway lights.
- Completed all landscaping restoration, installed sod in the plaza, as well as completed the split brick face bench in the plaza area.
- Began installing ceiling grids, tiling, and drywall to the vestibule, track bathrooms, halftime rooms, and storage areas.
- Finished installation of all basketball hoops, court divider curtains, and hoop adjustments.
- Installed the 13’x23’ Digital Video Board, as well as 5 scoreboards for all of the courts, as well as 2 shot clocks on main court basketball hoops.
- Completed the finalization of the Touch Pro Seneca High School Yearbook Memory TV & Cabinet, as well as finalized all 108 Educational Foundation Brick Donor Wall Plates. Installation of both features will happen in January.
- Took delivery of the Grade 1 Maple hardwood flooring, sub flooring, and multipurpose track flooring for installation in December.
- Rooftop RTU HVAC systems were started up and are currently heating the gymnasium addition.
- Continued installation of all electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the facility.
- Current gym balcony demolition and re-purposing into batting cages and training facility begins Monday December 4th.
Thank you for your continued interest and support in our project. We cannot wait to unveil this project to the community in late March of 2024!
October 2023 Update:
At the writing of this month’s blog entry, the morning construction weather was 26 degrees at the start of the workday. The workers are feverishly trying to button up some loose ends outside in this challenging Halloween forecast. We remain on progress for a March 2024 Grand Opening ceremony, but October rains have and soon to be November cool weather could impact some outside work. Thankfully, progress inside has continued to move forward. Let’s take a look at some of our updates this month:
In October, we:
- Completed all CMU caulk sealing, brick caulk sealing, and began the metal panel joint installations on the upper part of the building.
- Finished all gymnasium paint, all ceilings, walls, striping, and vestibule areas.
- Completed the ADA vestibule area concrete pours and final sidewalk pours on the south and east side of the building and roadways.
- Completed west side canopy footings, electrical light footing installation, and piping for the outside marquee sign.
- Further developed the west side plaza area of the “Events Entrance Plaza” by installing the canopy footings, running irrigation, electrical piping for the marquee sign, leveling dirt, and pouring sections of concrete.
- The first layer of asphalt binder was installed, with a hopeful November 10th final binder applied, with parking lot striping quick to follow.
- Continued installation of all electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the facility.
- Installed the antiglare windows in the gymnasium on the west and east sides of the building.
- Installed the ADA vestibule store front glass entrance.
- Installed all exterior doors and completed all roofing sections to keep the building dry.
- The rooftop RTU units will fire up heat for the first time on November 1st at 7:00 AM.
- Landscapers drug the areas impacted by construction and will install grass seeding and straw next week in impacted areas.
Thank you for your continued interest and support in our project. We cannot wait to unveil this project to the community in March of 2024!
September 2023 Update:
As each month on the calendar disappears in 2023, our gymnasium project is rapidly advancing. In writing this month’s update, I am left to marvel at the progress that has been completed in the month of September. While we remain on progress for a March 2024 Grand Opening ceremony, it is great to reflect on the amount of progress we have made this month, and each month.
In September, we:
- Completed ALL brick veneer on the lower portion of the gym.
- Began primer and painting on the gymnasium interior walls and completed the ceiling paint.
- Installed the ADA wheel chair ramp in the East vestibule entrance to the gymnasium.
- Dug footings for our canopy in our West plaza.
- Completed all “proof rolling” and prep for the first layer of asphalt binder in the roadway and parking lot.
- Continued installation of all electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems in the ceiling and underground of the gymnasium.
- Prepped for window installation in the gymnasium.
- Began installation of our new Touch Pro system that will be featured on the entrance to the gym. The Touch Pro system is an interactive touch screen display that will allow SHS visitors to search old yearbooks for graduates, former teams, activities, etc. near our concession stand, highlighting the interactive experiences that will be a part of our ingame experience. See the “in progress” link below for more information: https://senecahs.touchpros.com/Start
Thank you for your continued interest and support in our project. We cannot wait to unveil this project to the community in March of 2024!
August 2023 Update:
August has been an incredibly productive month for our gymnasium project. As I write from the comfort of my air-conditioned office, I have to reflect with amazement at the work the Vissering Construction guys, among other union tradesmen, performed in the 100+ degree heat index days out here in August at Seneca High School. As the community knows, we hosted the Wilmington Wildcats on Friday August 25th, with the young Fighting Irish men emerging victorious (first time since 2001 in this rivalry), but a much appreciated “thank you” was extended to Jim Kuhn, our SMC Construction Management Site Superintendent, who was feverishly cleaning up the construction site so that it appeared well kept for our community. He did an amazing job and we are grateful! We are blessed to have Jim here leading this project; he has been fantastic to work with! As for the August progress, many great advancements took place:
- Brick veneer has begun on the East walls.
- Roadway redesign has advanced past proof rolling, preparing for first layer of pour.
- Sidewalks, gutters, and curbing are rapidly advancing.
- Lots of advancement on the roof, including setting the three RTU’s.
- Mason’s have completed all CMU walls and are continuing brick veneer around the building.
- Plumbing, electrical, and sprinkler systems work continues inside the building.
- Bathrooms, team rooms, hospitality room, coach’s office, and the entryway vestibule work continues.
- Plans and orders are in process for the inside gymnasium video board, outside marquee sign, Touch Pro yearbook video wall, Donor Wall, and LED building lettering.
- The plaza in front of the gymnasium entrance has begun.
- The underground storm water Contect system was successfully installed.
Thank you for your continued interest and support in our project. We cannot wait to unveil this project to the community in March of 2024!
July 2023 Update:
The month of July has continued some great progress with our gymnasium addition project. As we conclude July, some milestone events have been completed. The Contech underground storm water system has been installed. This will allow proper water containment of the additional area. The four CMU walls of the gymnasium are complete, as weatherproofing materials are installed. Additionally, the entirety of the gymnasium concrete floor was installed, including all three basketball courts and the sprint track. The roofing products are being installed and soon the roof top heating and cooling units will be hoisted by crane onto the roof. The construction crews from Vissering Construction continue to complete masonry walls, work on roadway curb design to prepare to re-open the roadway. In June we reported that the smaller one-story structures of the gym, from track restrooms to storage areas, are nearing shell completion. Now all CMU walls are built, minus one storage area. We continue to make great progress in our efforts and hope to remain on schedule throughout the fall and winter for our great project.
June 2023 Update:
We hope you are enjoying our monthly updates and our bi-weekly video updates. A dry June led to a great amount of progress on the gymnasium addition project. This month, a great amount of work was completed in our project. At the close of the month, all steel roof bar joists have been installed. The North and South CMU walls of the gym are 100% complete and the East wall is 50% complete. While the timing could be close, the roadway redesign is well under way, and it is our goal to have the road re-opened by the start of the school year. During the month of June, Vissering Construction was critical in many capacities of CMU wall construction, steel bar joist installation, roadway curb and flat work, and other masonry work. The smaller one-story structures of the gym, from track restrooms, to storage areas are nearing shell completion. Additionally, connecting the existing facilities electric and plumbing to the new facility was a key part of June construction. With an additional 30,000 square foot, additional sanitation lines, plumbing, and electrical work was completed. In July we anticipate more CMU wall completion, more roof work completed, and our roadway redesign to continue. Additionally, the underground storm water system will be installed. The various contractors on site such as Vissering Construction, Block Electric, S&K Excavating, Omega Plumbing, and others have been terrific to work with. Their pride in their craftsmanship and productive working relationship has been a pleasant addition to the project. We continue to have great success with SMC Construction Management and Wold Architects.
May 2023 Update:
The month of May has brought great progress to our gymnasium addition project. The South and North masonry walls are complete. Foundation undercuts and footings have all been completed as well. Last week our first concrete slab was poured on the south areas including: team rooms, track bathrooms, and south storage areas. Surrounding areas, minus the gym slab floor will be poured as well. The gym slab will be poured once the bar joists for the roof are set and the crane has been removed. The excavators have been busy with the roadway redesign, including breaking up curb islands, installing new sanitary and stormwater lines underground, and reconfiguring the roadways congestion. On the final day of May we will see steel bar joist delivery, which will lead into crane and ironworker joist setting, as well as roofing system installation. A large amount of plumbing and electrical work, connecting the existing facility to the addition has taken place. The benefit of nice weather and good teamwork amongst the contractors has helped the project stay on schedule
April 2023 Update:
Construction crews have been feverishly working on our project since early March. Roughly 7 weeks in, we are 90% completion of the block North (plan West) wall. The exposed openings for the steel bar joists sit 34' off the ground, giving the gymnasium a nice ceiling height. Electrical work has continued running from the main campus to the new addition, both in-wall and underground. Concrete foundation footings are all complete and work recently began on the South (plan East) wall. By the end of May, weather permitting, steel bar joists and I-beams will be installed connecting the two exterior walls. Underground water retention and drainage system work continues. Coordination meetings with contractors continue to keep the project on time. Nearing the end of the school year, roadway renovations will begin as the campus south roadway will be redesigned for smoother and wider traffic flow. Above, is our first video of the project with the intent to do a video update every couple of weeks. Both on-site video with our construction management firm, Shales McNutt, and architects, Wold Architects & Engineers, will be featured in the videos, as well as drone footage captured by our IT Department.
March 2023 Update:
New space will expand possibilities for both physical education curriculum and athletic events.
SENECA, Ill. – March 15, 2023 – Seneca Township High School today announced the start of construction on a new 28,000 square-foot multi-court gymnasium addition. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held on March 15 at 4:30 p.m. and was attended by 27 people, including Seneca High School Board of Education members, Administration, and Project Partners.
Following years long district discussions around the need for updated physical education areas and athletic practice and event needs, the Board of Education planned and saved to build a new three-court gymnasium and sprint track, with additional spaces for storage, renovated concession areas and more team rooms to support the physical education department as well as the high school’s athletics.
“Seneca High School is a large source of pride within our community, and this new addition will provide greater opportunities for students, staff, and community use,” said Dr. Dan Stecken, Superintendent at Seneca Township High School. “It’s yet another step in building a foundation for student success and will help prepare students for post-high school opportunities and overall wellness with continued Irish Pride.
Seneca High School partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers, a national leader in educational architecture, to design the new addition. Once completed, the new athletic spaces will improve site roadway access and flow, as well as add extra event parking to support an occupancy of up to 1,950.
“We’re proud to work with Seneca High School to create re-imagined spaces for both students and staff to help accomplish their physical education and athletics goals for many years to come,” said Alison Andrews, Principal at Wold. “As a local firm, we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the district and help bring their ideas and school pride to life through this new addition.”
Shales McNutt Construction Management, out of Elgin (www.buildwithsmc.com) , is the construction management firm who has been terrific to work with on the project. Josh Campanelli, Vice President and Chris Damsch, Senior Project Manager, with the help of Jim Kuhn, Senior Site Superintendent, have hit the ground running. The district is proud to also have local Illinois Valley union contractors, like Vissering Construction and Block Electric, amongst others, leading the way in coordination with SMC. The new gym addition is tentatively set to complete in March of 2024, in time for the Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony and summer athletics seasons.
February 2023 Update:
During the month of February many meetings were held in the District Office as final choices were made regarding:
1. Aesthetic: bleacher color and products like Booster Club VIP backrests, Irish Live/Media bleacher additions, bleacher side enclosure coverings, fan selections, existing gym balcony/mezzanine wall mats, turf, supports, netting, hospitality room coordination, floor coloring/wood stains, change orders regarding bleacher configuration, bar joist credits, and underground storm detention credit.
2. Contractor Meetings: electronic components & low voltage contractor meetings, pre-construction meetings with ALL contractors to coordinate deliveries, background checks on ALL workers, worksite expectations, worksite times, trailer deliveries and site coordination, etc.
3. Excitingly, site trailers arrived on Monday March 6th and we broke ground officially on Monday March 13th.
January 2023 Update:
In January, several meetings were held to fine tune electrical designs, coordination between contractors on various project scopes were also held. Traffic patterns were discussed as the South entrance of the facility will be closed from March 6th thru August. Students were included in the design aspect voting and selecting the final wall mat design. Coordination between the architects, construction management, contractors, Village of Seneca, and Regional Office of Education was done to secure building permits. The project is ready for the weather to break and BEGIN!
December 2022 Update:
During the month of December, full construction documents were drawn up and continually modified for final design. Due to print file size, they cannot be displayed on the website. Builder's Risk Insurance was added for an additional layer of protection for district protections during construction.
November 2022 Update:
During the months of October and November a thorough bid notification, bid process, and bid review was conducted for the gymnasium addition project. Shales McNutt Construction Management, in coordination with Wold Architects & Engineers, worked to present the district's planned addition to 200+ contractors for bidding opportunity. We are pleased to announce that the Board of Education voted 7-0 and approved the construction of the gymnasium addition project on Wednesday November 16th, 2022 and the district will officially move forward with this project.
SMC Recommendation to Award Bids
September 2022 Update:
At the September 21st Board of Education meeting, the board discussed the 90% Construction Documents Page Turn (attached below). High level discussions about electronics, security, and bid documents were discussed. On September 27th, the project will go out to bid. The administration and Board of Education are excited about our progress as we near the construction phase of this project. * Design updates are not final and are subject to change.
September 2022 Page Turn Update
August 2022 Update:
In August, Superintendent Dan Stecken presented to the community of Seneca High School on an update at the completion of Design Development. Superintendent Stecken's presentation is attached as well as the latest renderings from the Wold Architect and SMC Construction Management teams. Our next steps will be to go out for Construction Documents bid in September. The administration and Board of Education are excited about our progress as we near the construction phase of this project. * Design updates are not final and are subject to change.
August 2022 Gym Update
August 2022 Community Forum
July 2022 Update:
At the July Board of Education meeting, the final Design Development packet was presented to the Board of Education. With phase 2 of 3 being complete, we now focus our efforts on the Construction Document Phase. This phase will focus on value engineering, mechanicals, and other key elements of the project. * Design updates are not final and are subject to change.
June 2022 Update:
At the June regular Board of Education meeting, Wold Architects & Engineers and Shales McNutt Construction Management shared the culmination of Design Development (phase 2 of 3) in pre-construction. As you look through the attached pictures you will see some updates from our May presentation. Our user groups have worked diligently with our architects and construction managers to create a gymnasium addition that the community can be proud of. Some updated elements in this presentation include- roadway changes to the entrance of our facility, an updated plaza entrance to the school, updates to the court design, updates to bleacher design, updates to the practice track lanes, and other updates. * Design updates are not final and are subject to change.
May 2022 Update:
Attached is the newest gym design development update from May of 2022. In this iteration of designs, the gymnasium planning group tackled the exterior design of the facility addition. A key goal of the design group was to design the gymnasium addition to make the community proud of our design, matching the existing structure of the high school, but also matching some of the most recent 2012 addition components. Other key elements present here include: (1) a straightening of the roadway to make for less traffic congestion, (2) a welcoming plaza entryway to the facility, (3) interior gymnasium design elements such as court design, netting, bleachers, etc., and (4) additional parking to the South of the facility for events. The images attached demonstrate exterior views, court designs, and renderings from axion architectural images. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.
April 2022 Update:
In the April 2022 design update we have our first look at key interior and exterior design options, such as basketball court designs and exterior entrances to the facility. The SHS gym design group requested more detail in our next design meeting to make further design decisions. In this design the group received an indepth look at the storage rooms, the track exterior bathrooms, relocated batting cages to the existing main gym balcony, and mechanical areas. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.
March 2022 Update:
In March of 2022, the gym design group continued work with Wold Architects and Engineers as well as SMC Construction to assess some design components such as bleachers, basketball hoops, volleyball systems, storage areas, mechanicals, audio/video design, and other key elements of the gymnasium addition project. Attached are prints from that meeting. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.
December 2021 Update:
In December of 2021, the SHS gym planning group continued its work with Wold Architects and Engineers. The attached Board of Education presentation was an exciting moment in the gym design as we took a look at the first proposed exterior images of the facility addition. The group discussed many key design features as well as budgetary items. The district has been saving for this project in its Capital Projects fund for years in anticipation of this needed addition. This was a proud moment as over a year of planning was set with visuals of design group work. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.
November 2021 Update:
The gymnasium design group continued its work in November of 2021 with a key design issue of the south entrance to the school and parking. The roadway from the 2012 construction project has caused bottleneck issues with traffic and needs to be addressed. Straightening of the roadway will ease traffic congestion and make a better design into the events entrance. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.
October 2021 Update:
In October of 2021, the SHS gym planning group continued work with Wold Architects and Engineers to assess schematic design features, such as natural lighting, space configurations, court layouts, other facility comparisons, and other key features. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.
June 2021 Gym Update:
In June of 2021, prior to Superintendent Dr. James Carlson retirement, Dr. Carlson and incoming new Superintendent Mr. Dan Stecken sat down with the community in two forums to engage the public in the gymnasium design process. Attached is a flier that invited the public to the Seneca High School auditorium. Additionally attached is the presentation that Mr. Stecken and Dr. Carlson engaged the community in. From the Seneca High School Board of Education Gymnasium Design Group, guiding principles were established:
•Community proud of end product
•Multi-use beyond gym
•More family friendly; Eliminate early and late practices
•Consolidate facilities
•Tournament facility
•Increased community access (West Campus)
•Engage community in transparent fashion
These guiding principles are revisited in every design meeting to continue our work with the ends in mind. * Design images are not final and are subject to change.