Niles Community Schools is about to begin work on a number of school improvement projects laid out in a $40 million bond project approved by voters last spring.

Supt. Dan Applegate said the project remains on schedule, according to a status report provided to the school board Monday by The Skillman Corporation, the project’s contractor.

“It is exciting — it is getting really close,” Applegate said. “I’m impressed with how well we’ve been able to stick to our original timelines that were laid out a year ago.”

The first phase of construction will include the school buildings of Howard-Ellis, Ring Lardner, Ballard Elementary and Eastside.

The deadline to submit bids for work on Howard-Ellis is March 29.

After that date, school officials will be able to open and review the bids to see how much the project will cost and how close it was to original estimates.

The school board is scheduled to award the Howard-Ellis work at its April 18 board meeting.

Applegate said prep work for construction on Howard-Ellis would begin in early May with full construction beginning during summer break. Construction on the other buildings in phase one is also scheduled to start this spring with Howard-Ellis being the first project on the list.

Below is a list of upcoming bond project events:

 

Bid deadlines

• Howard-Ellis — March 29

• Ring Lardner — April 19

• Ballard Elementary — April 26

• Eastside — May 10

 

School board to award bids:

• Howard-Ellis — April 18

• Ring Lardner — May 16

• Ballard Elementary — May 16

• Eastside — June 6