We are nearing the end of the new construction of the brand new, modern, and exciting Neal project. We have worked long days and hours, pushing to get this building ready for the community, families, and students after the November holiday. We can’t wait for you to see the finished product, we know students and teachers will love the bright colors throughout, the natural light around every corner, and the thoughtful design to support student learning and social emotional learning. We are so grateful for the project team and entire community for staying committed to making this the most transformational project in North Chicago. Stay tuned for more details related to the official opening coming soon!
Warmer and dryer weather means the tarp enclosing the exterior of the building has been removed! While lots of work will continue to prep the exterior for windows and metal panels, there has been great progress continuing with the interior of the building, including all mechanical, plumbing and electrical system installation and some drywall in classrooms. In April, the Project Team was able to join the sixth-grade science classes to make real life connections with lessons on building a structure and the measures necessary to ensure it is weatherproof and well insulated (see photos below). The team will continue to push through the Summer to ensure a Fall 2022 opening!
Exterior
Sixth grade science presentation
Classroom drywall
Corner classroom (look at that natural light!)
The dining commons continue to make progress on the first floor.
While the exterior of the new NMSA will continue to be enclosed until warmer weather, there is a lot of activities being done inside the structure. Interior walls are being framed for the classrooms, offices, and common spaces. All of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are being installed (this is a major milestone!). The learning stair is almost complete, which will be such an important piece of this new building for students, families, and community to gather. We are excited about the progress taking place inside the building and are on track for a Fall 2022 opening!
Construction progress for the new NMSA continues, even through the frigid temperatures and Winter weather! All structural steel has been installed, all five floor levels are complete and concrete decking has been poured. The new NMSA now has two completed stair towers and the learning stair at the main entrance is beginning to take shape. The new building is fully enclosed to ensure that work can continue through the winter months, and crews will continue to work hard are building the interior classrooms, mechanical systems, and offices to ensure an August 2022 completion date. The new NMSA continues to progress and we are so excited to show you the progress.
The vision for North Chicago’s only middle school is becoming a reality. See how students & community members are shaping the New Neal Math & Science Academy through AbbVie’s $40 million donation:
We hope that everyone is having a good start to the school year, even as we continue to adjust to the new way of living our lives given COVID. The New Neal development project timeline and regular meetings with the FAC and CAC have had to change due to the COVID crisis, but the planning and design work have continued.
Superintendent John Price and IFF recognize that this has been a complex process, and one of the principles from the beginning has been to provide the opportunity for engagement and input from as many people as possible. As the African proverb says, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. We plan to go far, and we plan to go together. The COVID crisis has made this collaboration more difficult, and this in turn has delayed our progress. We are working on a new updated schedule and will share that with you as soon as possible.
Over the past couple months the team has continued to make a lot of progress. While we were not able to break ground this summer as we had hoped, the team has still performed many crucial predevelopment activities on the site. These include structural engineering studies, asbestos remediation, soil testing, utility coordination, and engagement with teachers and staff around furniture and space needs. We have also held project update meetings with the FAC and CAC over the summer and will resume regular meetings with these groups in October. The feedback from both advisory committees has been determinative of many aspects of the project and we are incredibly grateful for the input to-date and look forward to a continued collaborative process.
We are excited about where the project is right now, and the direction that we are headed. Stay tuned to further updates on this web page and happy fall!
Monday evening, January 13th, the Neal Math and Science Academy project presented for approval of a zoning amendment and two zoning variances in front of the North Chicago Planning and Zoning Commission. The meeting took place in the Neal Math and Science Academy gymnasium, and many members of the public spoke in favor of the project and the approval of the zoning amendment and zoning variances, including Mayor Rockingham, Lake County Public Works Director Rodney Worden, and teachers and administrators at both Neal and District 187. The project team presented on the proposed site plan, circulation plan, building height and facade rendering, and spoke on the rationale for the placement of the building on the site.
Overall, the meeting was highly successful and presented a great opportunity for the community to clarify their questions about the project, and celebrate the progress thus far.
Fall 2019 was a busy season for the many groups involved in the redevelopment of the new Neal Math and Science Academy- from Neal seventh graders to architects at JGMA to Neal teachers and staff, and many more! The team is currently wrapping up the “Design Development” phase. Design Development entails listening to the many users of the future building (students, staff, administrators) about their visions, translating these dreams into floor plans, working with estimators to come up with preliminary budgets, and talking with North Chicago zoning officials.
Here is a taste of what we have been up to this Fall…
Over the past four months, the Facility Advisory Council (FAC) talked about the budget over tacos from Taqueria Toluca in August and floor plans over pulled pork sandwiches from Big Ed’s BBQ in September. The FAC is comprised of community stakeholders, USD187 board members, USD187 administrators, developers from IFF, architects from JGMA, and builders from Gilbane/Bowa/Blackwood.
The Community Advisory Council (CAC) met every first Thursday of the month over Dunkin coffee at 8:15AM to talk with the architects about design decisions like natural light and materials and perform skits about frequently asked questions regarding the project. The CAC is comprised of Neal middle school students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and local elected representatives.
The Neal Teaching and Learning Taskforce (NTLT) ate shockingly spicy salsa while talking about furniture layouts for the new Media Center and projector preferences for their classroom walls. They are gearing up to visit and learn from three schools that have adopted the “Pod” concept in the Chicagoland area this spring.
We also performed a space estimating exercise that entailed taping the real dimensions of the “Pod Living Room” space onto the Neal gym floor. After applying blue painter’s tape across the floor, we let 170 sixth graders move around the space to confirm that the space was large enough to accommodate their energy (it was!).
In October, seven design team members presented early drawings of the new Neal to families at four schools in North Chicago (AJK, Alexander, Forrestal, and Neal) during parent teacher conferences. Gilbane, part of the general contractor team, even brought a virtual reality set for the kids to experience!
Finally, the team hosted a resource fair at Neal to share the upcoming employment opportunities with local contractors and business associations. Strengthening the local economy in Lake County, especially North Chicago, through employing neighbors and local businesses is a high priority for the project.
