Elmbrook officials are considering making $700,000 worth of improvements to the high schools, including leveling the band room floor and replacing the auxiliary gym floor at Central, and adding sound systems to the choir, band and weight rooms at both schools.
The add-ons were not included in construction plans when the $62.2 million high school renovation project was approved in a 2008 referendum. They would be funded from about $600,000 in contingency funding that has so far been left over during the renovation process.
The School Board's High School Building Committee will consider the items on Tuesday.
Removing risers
The priciest project, removing the built-in cement risers from the Central band room, is estimated to cost more than $240,000.
Central Principal Don Labonte said the risers, common among band rooms constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, are unsafe, result in a poor acoustical environment for playing music, and render the room mostly inaccessible to handicap students, staff and parents.
Before meeting for discussion, members of the High School Building Committee will tour the band room. This will give committee members a chance to understand the case for removing the risers.
Total of 19 projects
The recommended add-ons are part of 19 possible extra improvements that could be funded by the contingency funds.
This is the second batch of contingency expenditures the committee is considering.
In October, the School Board approved spending $354,000 in contingency dollars to double the number of security cameras at the high schools, add sound and lighting systems to the schools' black box theaters, outfit both buildings with wireless Internet access, and renovate the East library floor to make it more functional.
The contingency funds were earmarked to fund any construction work that cost more than expected. As work wraps up and the need for contingency funds shrinks, that money can be spent on additional improvements - or it can be saved and returned to taxpayers in the form of lower property taxes in future years.
Construction at the high schools is expected to be completed in August. The project started with a $1.6 million contingency fund, but that pool has fluctuated as various parts are finished. As the project progresses, hidden costs become less likely.
School Board members are expected to take up how to use the contingency funds at their March 23 meeting.
NEXT STEP
WHAT: High School Building Committee
WHEN: 4:45 p.m. March 16
WHERE: Brookfield Central High School, 16900 W. Gebhardt Road
MORE INFO: elmbrookschools.org
AT A GLANCE
In total, more than $1 million in extra improvements have been suggested for Brookfield's public high schools. Projects totaling $354,000, denoted with asterisks, were approved last fall. The rest of the items will be discussed later this month.
Improvements at Central:
• Level the band room floor, $240,370
• Replace the floor in the auxiliary gym, $130,000
• Sound system in auxiliary gym, $64,556
• Swimming pool sound system, $31,934
Improvements at East:
• Adding outlets to library floor, $33,869*
Improvements at both schools:
• Additional security cameras, $150,000*
• Drama area dimmer rack for lighting, $64,382*
• Full wireless Internet, $90,000*
• Weight room sound system, $40,334
• Band room sound system, $19,838
• Choir room sound system, $19,838
• Drama area sound system, $15,884*
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