WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Board of Education will move forward with a plan to spend nearly $2 Million to upgrade buildings districtwide this summer.
District Director of Buildings and Grounds Larry Cihlar says the money will be divided up amongst several smaller projects. “The wish list is really to maintain the buildings that we have, preserve the capitol that we have, and do capital improvements that will enhance the students experience in the school.” He says while there is no glamorous or glitzy project on tap for the summer there are a few buildings that will receive roof repairs.
Other projects range from simply replacing a worn out or rusted out door in a building to replacing worn out carpet. “Really it’s a lot of maintaining and preserving what we have,” said Cihlar.
Board members voted to move forward with a $1.84 million dollar capital improvement budget for the summer. The measure will now go to the full school board for final approval.
Cihlar says that’s the same amount that was spent in 2017 and while it will do for now, it’s not enough to keep up with every improvement that needs to be made. “The analogy I like to use is if you would divide the amount of square footage of roof that we have throughout the district and anticipate replacing it every 20 years that alone would consume our entire capital budget.” Leaving no money for other upgrades or improvements. He went on to say that’s where exemptions and referendums come in to play.
Thanks to those sources parents can feel good about the status of the districts infrastructure. “The buildings are in good shape,” says Cihlar.
