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Friday, December 5, 2008

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District facility needs detailed

BRAINERD SCHOOL BOARD

By JENNIFER STOCKINGER

Staff Writer

From roof replacements to parking lots to air handling units - the Brainerd School Board's Facilities Committee Thursday got a glimpse of what the building needs are in its schools.

Earl Wolleat, Brainerd's director of buildings and grounds, presented committee members a list of projects that are being completed this school year at an estimated cost of $744,000 and projects that could be done in a five-year period beginning July 1 at a cost of $9.4 million. Wolleat also presented information on the limited space available in each of the schools.

The whole focus of the meeting was to give committee members background information on the facility needs and associated costs, Superintendent Steve Razidlo said. For instance, Razidlo said building space plays a factor in programs that deal with class sizes.

Facility upgrades Wolleat discussed included total or partial roof replacements on all the district's buildings, replacing or upgrading boilers at several of its buildings, installing blue lights at several schools that are used for security reasons during a school lock-down and building masonry upgrades and repairs at several of the schools.

Upgrades at the district's newest building - Forestview Middle School - included sealing the parking lot this school year and a future project could be reconfiguring the parent pick-up area that would entail adding another access to Knollwood Drive that would cost $67,000.

The district has $305,000 in monies that it's required by the city of Brainerd to spend this school year - $90,000 to replace sidewalks districtwide and $215,000 to construct a parking lot adjacent to the Washington Educational Service Building in the field behind the Kinship Partners office.

Razidlo said the district would like to see if the city and the Brainerd YMCA would be interested in partnering with the district on a community parking lot that would be located between the Washington building and the Y. This parking lot would be constructed instead of the city-required parking lot in the field. Razidlo said the district could ask the city for an extension on constructing the required parking lot until an agreement, if any, would be made. The committee plans to make a recommendation to the school board to ask the city for the extension.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.


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