East Middle School Renovation Plans To Be Reviewed

OAK CREEK, WI — Members of the Oak Creek Plan Commission will be meeting with school officials and developers over a proposal to make several upgrades to Oak Creek East Middle School.

The plans will be up for review during the March 12 Plan Commission meeting at 6 p.m. at the Common Council chambers, 8040 S. Sixth Street.

According to Plan Commission documents, school officials are submitting a plan for the district to upgrade the school's parking areas, athletic fields and interior access to the school located at 9330 S. Shepard Ave.

According to a letter submitted to Oak Creek officials in February, the school district is planning to improve the condition of the asphalt pavement parking lots and drives.

The front parking lot, bus parking lot, staff parking lot, gym parking lot, and north exit drive would be reconstructed due to the poor condition of the existing asphalt pavement.

Among the plans are designs to help during the school drop-off and pickup hours, as a portion of the fire lane on the east side of the building would be expanded so that school buses will have a parking lane outside of the 20-foot-wide fire lane.

A new paved student loading area would be provided as well. At the existing JV softball field, future improvements, being designed by other developers, would increase the impervious area at the JV softball field by 3,000 square feet.

New fencing and sidewalks are also being proposed at the courtyards on the south side of the building. This fencing would be a six-foot-high decorative fence with egress gates on both ends of the fence and a standard gate in the middle.

The proposed renovations are part of the Oak Creek-Franklin School District's $60.9 million referendum. Voters narrowly approved the referendum in November by less than 2,500 votes.

District officials say that the referendum will address a number of needs identified by the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District.

The cost of the referendum equals an estimated annual tax increase of $118 per year (or $9.81 per month) on a $225,000 home.