Over the next few weeks, site demolition and ground improvement for the foundation of the Fifth Ward Foster School will begin. Preliminary dates for the construction process were shared at Thursday’s school construction update meeting.
Eight-foot fencing will go up around the site by the end of the month after permits are acquired. The anticipated completion is for July 2026, with the school beginning to function by fall of that year, according to Ben Nelson, construction executive for the architecture firm leading the project Cordogan, Clark & Associates.
Work on the foundation and the building structure is projected to start in January and finish by mid-March of next year. Interior finishes including ceilings, flooring, painting and millwork will start in October next year, projected to finish by May, Nelson said.
“We are anticipating actually coming out and starting the end of this month,” Nelson said. “Our current schedule right now is Friday of next week, but we’re looking to get started as soon as possible.”
Neighborhood fight
For a decade, the community fought to bring back a neighborhood school to the Fifth Ward. In 2022, the District 65 School Board voted to build a school at Foster Field, behind the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. The K-5 school is a $48.4 million project slated to open for the 2026-27 school year.
Earlier this week on July 15, school board members broke ground for construction. The name Foster School – calling back to the last neighborhood school – was approved for the institution, along with the mascot of a phoenix.
The day of groundbreaking, the board held a meeting where it hired the firm Turner & Townsend as an owner’s representative, speaking on behalf of the district during architectural meetings. Turner & Townsend will create a review of the current project plans.
Foster School closed 57 years ago, the only neighborhood school in the Fifth Ward. The new Foster School will integrate the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies community due to declining enrollment and millions of dollars worth of needed maintenance repairs at that school.
Foster School is set to feature the following:
- 24 classrooms with small breakout rooms for personalized instruction
- Four specialized rooms for band, art, drama and STEM
- A cafeteria with a stage for performances
- A gym
- A multipurpose room for indoor recess, community activities or even additional classes
- LEED Silver certification to implement sustainable designs
Designs for the school were shared in May, showing that the building will be an “L” shape, with a classroom wing and a community wing. North of Fleetwood-Jourdain and east of Dewey Avenue, there will be a playing field for recess, a basketball court and a playground for mixed ages.
The team shared a site logistics plan at the meeting, but dates are subject to change, so charts will not be shared with the public yet.
Sidewalks closed
Sidewalk access around the field – along Ashland Avenue, Simpson Street and Dewey Avenue – will be closed during construction. The work is anticipated to be Monday through Friday and typical hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nelson said.
Nelson assured that equipment will not block streets or take parking away from the public so people can access the Fleetwood-Jourdain Center.
Nelson said he wouldn’t expect construction to interfere with youth programs at Fleetwood-Jourdain, nor is he concerned about air quality during the process.
“All the equipment that contractors use nowadays is high-efficiency. The equipment has a lot of the same guidelines as a car, SUV. So no, I wouldn’t expect any major air quality issues at all,” Nelson said.
District 65’s director of EvanSTEM Kirby Callam said that further down the road, the age and condition of the water pipes on Ashland Avenue and Simpson Street will be examined to determine if replacements or repairs are necessary, as they are where water will come from for the new school.
Transparency is goal
Callam said the goal is to maintain transparency during the project and have frequent meetings open to the community to receive input and inform residents of finalized details and progress.
“Everybody wins if we get this thing done on time,” Callam said. “We don’t forecast any surprises. We’ve gone through a roughly two-year zoning and ordinance review process with the City of Evanston … We’ve worked very closely with that team to make sure we’re minimizing impact to this community.”
Latest construction plans reported for Fifth Ward Foster School is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.