Schools

$5 Million, Five-Year Capital Budget Proposed for Elmbrook Schools

Aging roofs and HVAC work are among major capital projects in need of funding.

A five-year, $5 million capital budget is proposed for the Elmbrook School District. 

The proposed capital budget, reviewed by the finance and operations committee Monday, calls for $1 million in spending each year, or a 30 percent increase in current annual capital spending of $780,000.

The increased spending is needed to cover $1 million in costs for aging roofs and $500,000 in heating, ventilation and air conditioning work for the two high schools, among other capital projects, said Scott Miller, district facilities director.

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About $500,000 is needed for HVAC and related work for older sections of Brookfield Central and East high schools, work that was not included in the recent $62 million renovation at the two schools, Miller said. He warned that his department also has more than $1 million in deferred roof maintenance on school district roofs that are 30- and 40-years-old.

"We have $1 million of unfunded roof that's at the end of its useful life at the end of this year," Miller said. 

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 "You can patch them as a stop-gap," he added. 

But he said other facilities needs also were looming, including a boiler at Wisconsin Hills Middle School.

The School Board will get its first peek at the administration's proposed 2011-12 school district budget at its March 8 meeting. The committee on Monday looked at one small piece of that budget, the five-year capital budget, which spans 2011-12 through 2015-16.

The 2011-12 portion of the capital budget includes a new boiler and $60,000 for security system, cameras and door locks at Wisconsin Hills Middle School, $51,000 to replace a 2000 Dodge Dump Truck, $20,000 for building maintenance and heating and ventilation work at Fairview South School, and roofing projects at various district buildings. The 2011-12 capital budget does not include any of the $500,000 in HVAC work needed at the two high schools.

Committee Chairman Glen Allgaier questioned about $75,000 in the budget - $25,000 in the first three years of the five-year capital budget - to help fund baseball field upgrades at Brookfield East High School.

Allgaier said the baseball work was not in the original plans drawn by a citizen fundraising group called Brookfield East 2010 and Beyond. 

"It surfaced about three months ago," Allgaier said. 

But he noted the group has privately raised about $700,000 over the past decade to revamp East High's football and soccer fields.

"That's an enormous contribution to the district," Allgaier said. 

Committee Member Bob Ziegler backed the baseball project, saying: "I would like to see this come to completion."

Telling the fundraising group that the district will not fund part of the work "would risk alienating an extremely loyal constituency," Ziegler said.

The district in the past has equally split the cost of athletic projects with Brookfield East 2010 and Beyond. The group, however, has suggested a 70-30 split on the baseball work - with the district paying the smaller share, due to Elmbrook's projected future deficits. The baseball project could cost as much s $250,000.

Miller said he supported the request, even if it meant having to defer $75,000 in other facilities needs. 

"They've been a good group," he said. "This would finish the original plan of the sports complex."


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