MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — Construction crews are hard at work this summer renovating and updating Manitowoc public schools after taxpayers approved the school district to borrow $25 million for repairs.
At Lincoln High School, the oldest building in the school district, crews are replacing the roof, while Jefferson Elementary, the youngest school, is getting a paint job and other interior upgrades.
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"Elevator repair, exterior lighting, fencing, tuck pointing, concrete sidewalks, asphalt, exterior doors," Superintendent Lee Thennes said, listing just some of the critical maintenance being done.
Other repairs across the district include plumbing, backup generators, water valves, electrical systems, and emergency systems such as fire alarms.
"You know your kid falls of a slide and you think they might have broke their arm on a Saturday, you're not gonna wait until Monday morning to go to the doctor, you're going to take care of it right away, that's kinda what we need to do with our buildings," Thennes said.
The district is also updating all of its security cameras this summer.
"All kids deserve to live in a great learning environment, a safe one, a clean one," Thennes said.
Last year, an audit revealed that the district needed to allocate $160 million for repairs over the next ten years.
For now, they're spending the money they have on aging schools they can save.
"It's highly likely we will be closing down an elementary school or two, we just have a lot less students then we did 20 or 30 years ago," Thennes said.
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