Families, community members and Northbrook School District 28 officials converged at Meadowbrook Elementary on April 9 to celebrate the opening of the school’s new gymnasium, the first major project that has been completed after voters passed a $94.9 million referendum last year.
Faced with what they called aging infrastructure challenges, District 28 officials organized the Building Tomorrow Together campaign to revitalize its school buildings.
To carry out that vision, District 28 introduced the 10-year Build 28 master facilities plan, made possible through a nearly $95 million bond referendum approved by Northbrook voters in April 2025.
The district will also use $20 million in its existing operating funds for the Build 28 project, in addition to the $94.9 million.
The gymnasium marks the first completed construction in a series of projects across four District 28 schools slated for renovation, including Meadowbrook Elementary – the most extensive of the efforts, according to building contractors for the project.
“We knew we were going to build the gym, and then when we passed the referendum, we knew we had the opportunity to build this amazing new school,” said Meadowbrook Principal Ginny Hiltz.
“[The gymnasium] has been a good way to get our feet wet in the process of understanding the design and what we wanted to do for the whole building.”
D28 Superintendent of Schools Jason Pearson told the Pioneer Press that the district had already committed to building a new Meadowbrook gym using the $20 million appropriated operating funds prior to the referendum’s vote.
But the broader school renovations were dependent on voters signing off on the district’s expansive development plan, he added.
And the new gymnasium is built to weather almost anything, said Craig Fox, vice president of Happ Builders, Inc., the project’s primary contractor.
“This is what they call a storm shelter gymnasium,” Fox told the Pioneer Press. “It can withstand winds of 250 miles per hour.”
“The glass is three inches thick, the block is filled completely with rebar in it… it’s like a bomb shelter,” he joked.
Happ Builders, Inc., based in Waukegan, will also be leading the charge on the larger school renovations.
A little more than a year out from the August 2027 construction deadline, Fox said construction for the new school will have to commence immediately.
“Schools always have a real tight timeline, very aggressive, but somehow we’ve learned how to work with that,” Fox said. “We’re able to keep making our deadlines.”
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Fox said he doesn’t mind a challenge, especially when the end product is a school full of children who are able to reap the benefits.
“It’s rewarding to see everybody smiling,” he added. “It makes it worth it.”
Designed by DLA Architects, the 10,000-square-foot gymnasium features enhanced wood flooring for safety and athletic performance, designated restrooms for students and a premium sound system and speakers.
Principal Hiltz said now that the building’s finally completed, the nearly 460 kindergarten through fifth grade students at Meadowbrook will be eager to spend as much time in the new athletic facility as possible.
“They’ve been really excited,” Hiltz said. “And now they get to see the finished product.”
Northbrook School District 28 serves approximately 1,800 students across three elementary schools and one junior high school (grades six through eight). Northbrook 28 also serves early childhood learners through its Westmoor School.