Shawano district completes purchase of 20 acres for new elementary school

The Shawano School Board Monday gave final approval to the purchase of 20 acres of property for a new elementary school at Waukechon and Engel streets at a total cost of $400,000.

The district will purchase 12 acres from Sha- wano Municipal Utilities and an adjacent eight acres from another property owner, pending a title search to make certain there are no encumbrances on the property.

District voters OK’d the $24.9 million building project in September. The district will construct a new elementary school to handle pre-kindergarten through second grade. The Olga Brener Elementary School will be remodeled into an intermediate school to handle third grade through the fifth grade, which is currently housed at the middle school.

Board members received an update on the project Monday from Randy Boden of Somer-ville, Inc., the firm hired to design the new facility and Olga Brener remodeling.

Boden said there had been some tweaking of the original designs to incorporate feedback from public informational meetings, particularly in addressing security at the new EC-2 school.

“We want to make sure we’re taking all the information the public brought to us,” he said.

Boden said there had been a certified survey map submitted to the city for approval, which will likely be on the agenda of the next Plan Commission meeting.

The district hopes to start construction on the new school in April. The first phase of work at Olga Brener — including the construction of a gym addition — is targeted for completion by November 2009.

The new school is scheduled for completion in July 2010 and Olga Brener renovations should be wrapped up by August 2010.

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Shawano district completes purchase of 20 acres for new elementary school

The Shawano School Board Monday gave final approval to the purchase of 20 acres of property for a new elementary school at Waukechon and Engel streets at a total cost of $400,000.

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