Cape schools have long list of repairs

From unsafe bleachers to leaking skylights to aging boilers, Cape Girardeau public schools have a long list of repair and replacement needs, school officials say.

The district has 11 schools, some of them dating back to the 1950s or earlier.

"We are constantly working on these buildings," said Patrick Morgan, executive director of administrative services for the school district.

The need for repairs, renovations and possibly new construction has the school board exploring the idea of issuing $12 million in bonds in 2009 to fund such projects. School officials say the district could issue bonds without increasing taxes. Voter approval would be needed.

As part of developing a facilities plan, Morgan recently listed the district's repair, renovation and construction needs.

Major and costly improvements are needed at Franklin Elementary School, he told the school board last week.

The building -- the oldest part of which dates back to 1927 -- needs renovations involving heating and cooling systems boilers, windows, lighting and doors, he said. The work could carry a price tag of more than $1.5 million.

"That doesn't include anything cosmetic," said Morgan, who was hired last summer and charged with helping develop a plan to upgrade the district's buildings and grounds.

At Clippard Elementary School, the district will soon have to replace a 40-year-old boiler at an estimated cost of $50,000.

Blanchard Elementary School, completed in 1999, is one of the district's newer schools. But it too has some maintenance problems -- the skylights leak.

"They have been a source of frustration since they were put in," school board president Sharon Mueller said.

Old wooden football bleachers need to be removed at Central Junior High School, Morgan said. "They are not in very good shape. There are gaps in them," he said, and they could pose a safety problem. Replacing them with metal bleachers that could seat 500 people could cost $82,000.

The junior high school itself, built in 1952, needs some maintenance work, superintendent Dr. David Scala said. "It needs to be cleaned up outside and inside."

School officials suggested that three metal buildings on the junior high school campus need to be renovated. That could cost an estimated $375,000, Morgan said.

While the junior high school auditorium continues to serve the district well, Morgan said, it needs improved house lighting, new curtains and new backdrops.

School district officials are looking at installing shrubbery to screen unsightly air-conditioning units in front of the junior high school. Mueller has long pushed for that, contending that the air-conditioning equipment is an eyesore.

The "bubble" roof on the Central Municipal Pool belongs to the school district. Morgan said it will need replacement soon even though the roof is only 7 years old.

Morgan said the roof fabric is designed to last 10 years if kept permanently in place. But the bubble is taken down every fall and put back up every spring, which causes the material to deteriorate more quickly. A new roof could cost a few hundred thousand dollars, he said.

The district, he said, may want to look at constructing a permanent roof rather once again replacing the bubble roof. Such a project might be done in partnership with the city, he suggested.

Little-used tennis courts at the junior high school need to be removed, Morgan said. That space could be used for parking, he said.

At Central High School, the main focus is on new construction. The school board is exploring the possibility of constructing a performing arts auditorium and a football stadium. Those two projects could cost several million dollars, school officials said.

Morgan also has concerns about the district's central office, formerly a vocational school. The building is bigger than the district probably needs for its administrative offices, so school officials should explore other uses for parts of the building, such as a preschool, he said.

The old greenhouse on the grounds needs to be better used or removed, Morgan said.

Schultz School, a brick structure that was built in 1914, currently houses the district's Alternative Education Center. The district has held off making any major improvements to the building while it tries to sell the structure, he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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Cape Girardeau School District repair, renovation and construction needs

Franklin School

Renovations: Heating and cooling, boilers, windows, lighting and doors, estimated cost -- $1.27 million to $1.55 million.

Jefferson School

Replace heating pipes.

Clippard School

Replace boiler.

Improve playground surfaces.

Blanchard School

Repair leaking skylights.

Alma Schrader

Renovate playground, work proceeding.

Schultz School

Remove fire escape.

Tuck point brick exterior.

Central office

Use or remove greenhouse.

Central High School

Improve athletic fields for soccer, baseball and softball.

Possibly construct a performing arts auditorium and a football stadium.

Career and Technology Center

Construct a new addition at a cost of $1.5 million. That project is moving forward.

Central Junior High School

Replace football bleachers.

Improve auditorium.

Relocate batting cage to the high school.

Screen air-conditioning units with shrubbery.

Renovate three metal buildings.

Replace roof on Central Municipal Pool.

Refinish interior doors and replace others.

Remove tennis courts.

Central Middle School

Replace doors.

Renovate a restroom.

Improve stairs.

SOURCE: Cape Girardeau School District