More details about a major construction project at Niles Community Schools were announced at Monday’s school board meeting, including an updated timeline and preliminary design concepts for one of the district’s elementary school buildings.

Eduardo Blanc, of TMP Architecture, the company contracted by the district for design work, said construction on Howard-Ellis Elementary, Ring Lardner Middle School, Ballard Elementary and Eastside Elementary is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2016.

All four buildings are part of the first phase of the $40 million construction project, which is being paid for with a pair of bond proposals passed by voters this spring.

Representatives from TMP Architecture and Skillman Corp. (the construction management company) presented this and other information to the school board during a regular progress report on the bond project Monday.

Blanc explained that they are in the process of finalizing rough draft design concepts for buildings involved in phase one construction, including room layouts, the site of new additions, layouts for built-in cabinetry, flooring, color scheme, and several other things.

Blanc showed some preliminary designs for the Howard-Ellis building, including the possible location for a new classroom wing, gymnasium and secure main entrance.

Concept designs for other phase one buildings, he said, were not shown due to time constraints of the meeting.

Blanc said the Howard-Ellis concept is not finalized and that anything shown Monday is subject to change based on a variety of factors, from cost estimates to feedback from professional committees and community members.

“The schematic design process is something very general,” he said. “This is just our first approach that will be checked later on.”

A more concrete design plan and cost report should be available for all four buildings in phase one in late fall/early winter.

Construction is scheduled to begin first on Howard-Ellis in May, followed by Ring Lardner in May, Ballard Elementary in June and Eastside in June. All four buildings are slated to be finished by October of 2017.

Board members asked questions about changes to parking and water/sewage issues at Howard-Ellis, but Blanc said they would address those things in a later phase.

Michael Kounelis, of Skillman Corp., said the four buildings in phase one would be bid out as separate bid packages in the spring.

Kounelis said it could be more difficult than usual to find skilled labor because many qualified workers are tied up with the major construction projects going on at the University of Notre Dame.

“We are cognizant of that and are taking it into consideration,” he said. “We have to be strategic on how we put these projects out on the market to bid and we have to work harder than normal to get folks excited about bidding your work.”

When asked about security in light of a recent copper theft at Buchanan Middle School, Kounelis said the district would have to decide how much money it is willing to commit to safety measures during construction, such as lighting and cameras.

“It becomes a challenge,” he said.

TMP and Skillman representatives did not discuss buildings in phase two, which include Niles High, Oak Manor Sixth Grade Center, Southside and Northside Child Development Center.

Supt. Dan Applegate, who was not present at Monday’s meeting due to a scheduling conflict, said in a press release Tuesday that work on phase two would begin in 2016.