Ben Franklin Junior High School tennis courts will get an overhaul, though it was not an easily-made decision by Stevens Point Area Public School District Board members.

Board members Monday, June 13, approved 5-4 spending $226,736 to rebuild the tennis courts, which have fallen into such disrepair that the school’s principal is not allowing one court to be used for any activities, and the junior high tennis team is conducting all matches and practices at the P.J. Jacobs Junior High courts at Goerke Park.

Board members Judy Rannow, Christina Scott, Amy Dailey, Jeff Ebel and Meg Erler approved the expense and Sam Levin, Barb Portzen, Dan Kontos and Patricia Baker opposed it.

“If we’re going to prioritize the money we’re spending, I just can’t see spending the money on it,” Kontos said, adding that there are seven other projects on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that could be funded through those dollars.

The discussion took more than 20 minutes of explanation on where the money was coming from – the district previously had $102,000 dedicated, and funds from two delayed projects will make up the balance – and whether it was good stewardship of community dollars to rebuild the tennis courts.

“Every month we talk about lack of money,” Baker said. “Our budgets are getting cinched and cinched … and here we were able to scrape up $226,000.

“If we go to referendum in a year, let’s say, I want it to succeed, and if we have beautiful courts out there, I’m just concerned,” she said. “I think this is a want, not a need.”

The tennis court repair had been part of the district’s 10-year CIP, but administration took it out a couple of months ago due to potential liability and safety issues. The board in March approved a Building’s and Grounds recommendation to adjust the budget to fund priority projects, which included spending the $102,000 to repair and recoat the tennis courts.

When bids came in, no contractor would agree to that work, said Tom Owens, director of business services for the district.

When company representatives were contacted as to why, the response was that the courts were in such poor condition such a repair would not address the issue and there was concern about the risk of liability. Grinding and replacing the courts became the best solution, he said.

Rettler Corp. estimated the replacement cost at $226,736.

Levin said he believes there will be fundraising done, and he moved that the remainder of the cost ($124,736) be pulled from fund balance to pay for the courts rather than using money from other projects. The motion died due to lack of a second.

The $102,000 already was budgeted, and the roof repairs and window replacement projects from which the money was adjusted remain slated for completion – the window in fact has already been purchased, Owens said, so those projects will not be discarded.

There is $82,670 budgeted for Ben Franklin’s track resurfacing next year, the funds for which would help cover the tennis courts (administration determined the track resurfacing is not an urgent project) and the city of Stevens Point is putting off resurfacing Goerke Park track, so the district’s $50,000 allocated for that project will go toward the Ben Franklin courts.

“Those tracks are still usable, the courts are not,” Scott said. “They are very dangerous. I think putting something off to fix something that’s unusable, I don’t think that’s a bad use of dollars.”

Owens said if the project was not done this year, the $102,000 in the Buildings and Grounds budget for the program would be gone, there is a possibility there would not be funds available in the future, and in the near future, the district may have to decide for safety and liability reasons to lock up the courts for good.

Capital Improvement Plan

The School Board unanimously approved a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan for maintenance projects throughout the district. Cost for the 2016-17 school year totals $547,880.

The CIP is a fluid plan that requires updates as projects become more urgent or new projects are discovered. The 10-year grid is more of a guide to ensure necessary projects are scheduled and can be reassessed as needed.

For the 2016-17 school year, the two largest projects are roof replacements for different sections at Jefferson School and McKinley School. Together, those costs are just shy of half the budgeted amount, totaling $273,710.

Other projects slated for the year (minus funds that slid over to the tennis courts) include installing hallway floor tile at Kennedy School, lighting retrofitting and floor tile installation at McDill School, tile installation and siding replacement at Plover-Whiting School, and adding a canopy at Washington School.

Each year, the district will re-examine projects and make adjustments as needed. The 2017-18 school year suggests repairs and replacements for 10 of the district’s 17 buildings.