New roof, athletics and art improvements are on the list of possible expenditures
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
With the 2013-14 budget in place, officials with the Waterford Union High School District are beginning to look at possible capital projects for the 2014-15 school year and beyond.
At a Dec. 18 School Board meeting, Superintendent Keith Brandstetter outlined a wish list of items that could cost around $900,000, spread over an extended period of time.
The biggest ticket item – clocking in at an estimated $550,000 – includes a proposal to expand the high school’s weight room and relocate it into the fitness center.
Another proposal, for lighting the tennis courts, could cost anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000, Brandstetter said, although a grant from the high school’s tennis association could defray some of the cost.
Most of the other items on Brandstetter’s list had smaller dollar figures. Several other projects benefiting athletics are on the list, including a proposal to resurface the track and rewire the lighting outside the football stadium. The projects cost $75,000 and $7,500, respectively.
“The football lights wear out over time,” Brandstetter said. “We also think there should be some rewiring done so it’s brought up to code.”
But not all the proposals are athletic in nature. The high school’s greenhouse, which was built about 15 years ago, requires what Brandstetter described as “basic maintenance.” He listed projects that will cost about $15,000.
An art gallery is a proposal that has been discussed occasionally at WUHS, and Brandstetter included it on his wish list. The project carries an estimated $42,000 price tag.
Additionally, plans call for a new ceramics lab at the high school, at a cost of $25,000.
A few items are more routine in nature and include replacing carpeting and tiling in a number of rooms within the high school, at a cost of $20,000. Also, a plan to reseal asphalt in various areas of the school has been put in place at a cost of $15,000.
At least one of the 10 items on Brandstetter’s list has a number of unknowns attached to it. At some point in the not-too-distant future, Brandstetter said, the board should consider replacing the gymnasium roof, which is about 18 years old. Brandstetter’s loose estimate for the project comes in at $50,000.
“We’re going to inspect it more when it gets nicer out,” Brandstetter added.
An eleventh item on Brandstetter’s suggested capital list did not have a firm proposal or cost estimate. He suggested the high school’s telephone system be replaced because the existing infrastructure is antiquated.
“But who knows what telephones will be like three or four years from now?” Brandstetter commented. “They might look different from how they are now.”
The board overall was receptive to the plans Brandstetter outlined, but no firm decisions were made on costs or timelines to address the specific projects.
Plans call for the board to tour the entire high school campus in advance of the next regularly scheduled meeting in January. During the tour, Brandstetter said he will outline some of the existing deficiencies.
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