Some portions of middle school date to 1924
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
In terms of all of the facilities within the Burlington Area School District, Karcher Middle School isn’t technically the oldest.
That title falls to the district administration building, also known as the former Lincoln School, built in 1857.
But when it comes to the most diverse space, the most renovations and perhaps the most use, Karcher presents the most problems for the district in outlining a long-term facilities plan.
Originally the district’s high school, the center of the building remains the original 1924 building. Additions in 1956, 1959, 1963 and 1986 expanded the space, but with the age of original structure and issues with even the most recent addition, the cost for repairs on the building could go as high as $5.1 million.
But as the district wrapped up its public information sessions last week on the Plunkett Raysich Architects study of the district buildings, Karcher remained a viable option to house a grades six to eight middle school.
The district’s Director Buildings and Grounds Gary Olsen said the price tag on the repairs doesn’t preclude keeping the building and using it.
“That’s going to be a part of the study,” said Olsen, adding that any work done in the district would be a “balancing act of available dollars.”
“That’s what it’s going to come down to,” he said. “You begin to trade off one option for another.”
Age showing
Olsen said there are numerous ways that Karcher is showing its age.
The facility study ranked repairs needed on a scale of level 1 to 3, with 1 needing immediate attention and 3 indicating the least priority.
In terms of Level 1 repairs throughout the district, it is by far the smallest number – $446,175. That total, though, includes $133,100 work needing to be done at Karcher.
The most costly repairs for Karcher include replacing exterior joint sealants ($32,000), updating a portion of lighting fixtures ($26,000) and reviewing and adding security cameras ($42,000).
There are other concerns, though. The electrical needs are outpacing the wiring and amperage in the building, Olsen said, and the air handling units and boilers in the building date to the original 1924 section.
The air-handling and boiler unit replacements add up to a full $1 million price tag.
Olsen also said steam lines and condensate lines in the building are failing due to age. Most of those pipes are in walls and floors – not counting pipes that are accessible through old “pipe chases” in the building.
“You’re literally jackhammering a floor out,” Olsen said. “You develop a leak, you have to tear a wall out.”
There is also an old curtain wall built in the 1959 section that is in need of replacement due to its inefficiency, and a gap between that wall and the original building’s foundation.
Another concern is asbestos. While it is currently contained and sealed, much of the work would require abatement of the substance.
Options considered
Going into the public information sessions for the facilities study, the School Board approved seven different options, including one that involved using Karcher and one that demolished it.
Opinions at the final public meeting varied. Kevin Brierly, a district maintenance engineer who retired this year, said the building wasn’t worth saving, while Bonnie Ketterhagen – the wife of School Board Member Phil Ketterhagen – said the district should simply build in maintenance costs to its yearly budget and use the space it has to full capacity.
Olsen said later in the week he had no stance either way, adding that, like many of those attending the sessions, he has changed his mind more than once on what would be the best course of action.
The district will now wait for Plunkett Raysich to compile the commentary from the four public information sessions, and then proceed. As acknowledged at the meetings, district officials expect the options presented to change as the process moves forward.
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