Arrowhead surveying the community on how to address outdated facilities

Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read
Arrowhead High School
Arrowhead High School

With aging facilities needing to be addressed, the Arrowhead Union High School District is surveying the community about its facilities needs.

The district announced in a news release that the surveys would arrive in mailboxes in late April or early May. Survey results are tentatively scheduled to be shared with the Arrowhead School Board on June 12.

Here's what to know about the district's facility needs and the survey.

What are the district's facility needs?

According to the district's news release, the school's original South Campus building is almost 70 years old and the original North Campus building is 55 years old. The district said there have been "no significant facilities investment" to either in 25 years.

The district faces the need for an estimated $53 million over the next 10 years to repair and replace electrical components, plumbing equipment, roofs, windows, mechanical systems and other capital maintenance. The cost rises to over $143 million to cover maintenance costs over the next 25 years, the release said.Last fall, the school conducted a comprehensive facilities assessment, which identified five key needs:

  • improving safety and security

  • repairing or replacing major building systems

  • expanding undersized academics, arts and athletic spaces

  • eliminating inefficient, duplicate space

  • modernizing learning environments.

The assessment also identified the school's two-building campus structure as "a source of inefficiency as many staff and spaces must be duplicated." The campuses "also create numerous potential safety and security concerns," the release said.

The district held three in-person community engagement sessions in January and February; most attendees favored combining the two buildings by enlarging one building or constructing a new school.

What were some of the specific findings of the comprehensive facilities assessment?

The assessment said that although both buildings are well kept, they "suffer from numerous age-related deficiencies." For example, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems "are at or beyond their useful life"; there's Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies in both North and South campus buildings; and the maintenance building "is suffering from structural degradation," Arrowhead's website said.

The assessment also examined education adequacy and capacity and utilization of facilities.

The assessment noted a lack of secure entryways at both buildings. It also noted that there are no "layers" of security to help limit visitor access.

The assessment also said both buildings "lack natural light, transparency and small group collaboration areas."

Additionally, both buildings have duplicate spaces, resulting in lower utilization rates. The assessment also found the school's common areas — cafeterias, gyms, pool and libraries — are undersized for a school of Arrowhead's size.

What will the community survey ask about?

The survey will ask

  • whether to combine the school into one building "to improve safety and security and reduce inefficiencies"

  • whether to address the school's failing pool and small auditorium as a part of its facilities plan

  • whether to construct a new high school or renovate an existing school building.

Survey input will help the board determine its "long-range planning priorities and whether to pursue a potential facilities referendum," the release said.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at@AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Arrowhead surveying community on how to address outdated facilities