Posted: Dec. 23, 2009

Demolishing Lakeview Elementary School and building a new one on the same site will no longer be a facilities improvement option, the Muskego-Norway School Board decided Monday night.

Two other potential options remain, however, for Lakeview as part of the district's overall facilities planning. Lakeview could still be expanded and renovated or the building could be closed as a school and a new Lakeview Elementary School built on the site of Lake Denoon Middle School.

For many months, the School Board has been narrowing its options to improve school facilities. The board favors consolidating the five elementary schools into three by retiring the district's two oldest schools - Tess Corners Elementary and Muskego Elementary. In addition, one new school would be built on district land on North Cape Road. Lakeview and Mill Valley elementary schools would be expanded, as necessary. The combined Bay Lane Middle/Country Meadows Elementary would become either entirely a middle school or entirely an elementary school.

The various plans are organized into two general options that have some overlap.

But both the options cost money and public input sessions will start in late January to get a feel for whether there is enough support for borrowing to actually do the facilities update. If strong community support is found, the community might be asked to vote in a referendum as early as November 2010.

The board dropped the option of tearing Lakeview down and rebuilding it on the same site because of cost, the logistics, traffic patterns and keeping children safe during demolition and construction.