URBANA -- The Urbana school board approved more detailed plans for a new early-childhood center and addition to Prairie Elementary School on Tuesday night.

The plans call for a 12-classroom early-childhood center, which will be connected to Prairie school through a new gym for the elementary school. The two buildings will share common spaces Prairie's new gym and the early-childhood center's multipurpose room and family center.

Architect Riley Glerum of IGW Architecture of Urbana said the cost estimate for those projects, which total 54,000 square feet, is $15.38 million.

The plans also call for three alternatives -- four additional early-childhood classrooms, three fine-arts classrooms at Prairie and remodeling the existing multipurpose room at Prairie.

The traffic pattern at the schools has been revised since preliminary design plans were presented in early March. It calls for bus and car traffic for the early-childhood center to be separated, with the bus traffic using an existing entrance at Prairie and car traffic using a new entrance farther to the east at Smith Road.

The lone no vote on the design presented Tuesday was from Ruth Ann Fisher, who said she was concerned about the changes to the traffic pattern, fewer staff parking spaces for the early childhood center and the possible loss of one ball field.

Board member Elaine Gehrmann questioned why estimates were higher for the project than they were in early March. Glerum said a professional who is not from IGW did the latest estimate, and it includes a geothermal system for the early-childhood center, which the original estimate did not. It also includes contingency costs. Glerum said the actual costs could be lower, given the favorable bidding environment right now.

The schedule for the project calls for bidding in August and construction to begin in October. It is scheduled to be finished by December 2012.

The board also approved the design for a major remodeling of the Urbana High School auditorium. The work is to begin this summer and will include raising the main floor, enlarging and improving the stage, adding an orchestra pit, and adding seating in the balcony.

The board also heard about a possible lease by US Cellular to put a 50-foot tower at the Urbana High School athletic complex, which is being renovated. Business director Carol Baker said the company would pay about $1,600 per month for the tower, which could serve as a flagpole. The lease would increase by a percentage every year.

Baker said the district could earn $220,000 over 10 years from the lease, and possibly more if other companies joined. She said the lease likely would be for 25 years. Superintendent Preston Williams said that money could be used for maintenance for the new athletic complex.

Baker said US Cellular will talk with area residents and city officials. The board will take action on the lease at a future meeting.