Posted: Dec. 30, 2009

Muskego — 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 last week.

Two other 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.

Public feedback needed

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.

Another reason was that the School Board wanted to simplify the options for voters to those that are the most feasible, School Board President Jim Schaefer said.

"We do not want a jumbled message," he said.

And Lakeview had three ways it could be handled. Now it is a clearer choice of two, Schaefer said.

The board has looked at roughly 20 potential solutions to its facilities needs, Superintendent Joseph Schroeder said. Over the summer, the board narrowed the options to four and now the number is two, he said.

"These are the best two options to share with the community for their input," Schroeder said.

Solution one would cost roughly $50.3 million to $57.8 million. Solution two would cost $62.3 million to $72.5 million. In both cases, costs vary depending on which options are included. The most expensive options in solution one are building two elementary schools. In solution two, possibly building an elementary and a middle school push potential costs up.

The amounts are ballpark estimates, as the board is getting more cost information to make better predictions, Schroeder said.

The board favored holding five public input meetings where the options will be explained and the level of support might be gauged.

No schools in town?

Those input meetings will be particularly important as pertains to Lakeview Elementary, Schaefer said.

"One of the things we want to determine from the sessions is how important is it that we continue to maintain a school in the town of Norway," Schaefer said. If Lakeview is closed instead of remodeled, a new one would be built in Muskego at the Lake Denoon Middle School site. That is close to the town of Norway, but it would leave the Muskego-Norway School District without a school in Norway, he said.

A follow-up survey on the various plans is likely, also, Schroeder said.

AT A GLANCE

Public input meetings on the potential facilities options, all to be at 6:30 p.m., will be held:

Jan. 26 at Tess Corners Elementary School, S6800 Durham Drive

Feb. 1 at Muskego Elementary School, W17476 Janesville Road

Feb. 3 at Lakeview Elementary School. 26335 Fries Lane

Feb. 18 at Bay Lane Middle/Country Meadows Elementary School, W16399 Hilltop Drive

Feb. 23 at Mill Valley Elementary School, S6445 Hillendale Drive