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Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of reports focusing on the major aspects of a $14.2 million referendum being put before Chisago Lakes School District voters Nov. 6.

Whomever said "a little goes a long way" certainly wasn't talking about school operating capital. After paying for textbooks, equipment and technology, school districts are indeed left with "a little" to spend on major maintenance projects.

The Chisago Lakes School District has put together a list of maintenance needs at all five school buildings and included the projects in a $14.2 million referendum which will be put to district voters in a vote Tues., Nov. 6.

The facility improvement plan includes roof replacements and repair, window replacements, tuckpointing and parking lot repair.

The total cost of all deferred maintenance projects is just over $5 million - more than one-third of the total referendum.

Roof replacement and repair projects account for the biggest portion of the facility improvement plan. Around 30 percent of the five roofs need to be replaced, or 608,000 square feet.

Director of Business Services Heide Miller said the most common roof problem is leaks.

"We also have some wet insulation and when it rains, there are buckets all over," she said.

The oldest roof portions needing replacing are at Chisago Lakes Middle School and Chisago Lakes High School. Two areas of the CLMS roof and one area of the CLHS roof are all over 30 years old Roofs at Taylors Falls Elementary, Primary School and Lakeside School date back to the 1980s and earlier, making these roofs at least 20 years old.

Some of the newer roof sections also need to be replaced due to leaks and wear.

A section on the high school roof that was installed in 1993 has caused numerous problems since it was damaged in a wind storm, Miller said.

Lakeside School has immediate roof repair needs, but two of the roof sections will receive new membranes only and not a complete roof replacement. Tuckpointing on the exterior walls of the old gym may be delayed as well.

Miller said repairs at Lakeside will be kept to a minimum, but obviously enough to make it a safe, secure learning environment.

"It's tough because we're not sure what we're going to do with the building in the future," she said.

Tuckpointing is needed at all five buildings as well. Tuckpointing is the process of replacing mortar in between bricks on the exterior walls of buildings. These projects total around $1.2 million.

Inefficient windows will be replaced at Taylors Falls and Primary. Taylors Falls will receive 82 new windows, and Primary will receive 65 new windows.

Security and safety issues have also been addressed in the referendum proposal.

The offices at Taylors Falls and Lakeside do not allow office staff a clear view of the main entrances, so both will be remodeled for staff to see the front doors. Security was already improved at the elementary buildings last year with the installation of camera intercom systems that control access through one of the main doors at each school. The rest of the doors are locked during the school day.

"The office remodeling will put office staff in direct sight of the door for increased security," Miller said.

Safety while loading and exiting buses at CLMS has put two improvement projects on the list - sidewalks and a bus lane.

The bus lane, the road in front of the school where buses line up each morning and afternoon, will be widened to better accommodate the buses and allow more space in between for safer student travel, while the sidewalk will be extended down the grassy slope to give students a more secure place to walk. The projects combined are estimated at $340,000.

The lighting in the parking lot at Lakeside will be improved for added security; it was a concern brought up by staff and parents. The additional lighting is estimated at a cost of $15,000.

The middle school elevator is wearing out and also needs to be replaced due to new code requirements. The elevator project cost is estimated at $150,000.

The second phase of replacing the student parking lot at the high school is included in the referendum total, estimated at $150,000.

The outdated timing system at the community pool at the high school will be replaced. Miller said the current timer is over 20 years old and temperamental. Only one person is able to get it up and running, but fortunately, it has kept working for all the high school swim meets.

Other maintenance projects include boiler burner replacements at Taylors Falls and CLHS ($65,000), chimney reconstruction at CLMS ($25,000), and two projects that could be added if bids are under budget on other projects: an air handling unit at Lakeside and replacement of a small boiler at the district office.

The $5 million for deferred maintenance items will address all major improvement needs and not use up a huge portion of the district's general fund capital needs money.

Each year, the district receives $825,000 for capital needs. After $150,000 is spent on textbooks and curriculum, $130,000 on technology needs, $117,000 on equipment and $85,000 on equipment leases, only $343,000 is left each year.

If the roof projects were paid for through this fund, only one major roofing project could be completed each year and that would delete all capital improvement money available that year.

Other maintenance projects included in the referendum proposal - boilers, windows, tuckpointing, parking lot repairs - would have to wait or be done a little at a time.

If maintenance projects would need to become immediate priorities, then additional capital funds would be used, decreasing the amount available for curriculum, textbooks, technology and equipment.

Miller said the district is hopeful that the optional, albeit needed, projects (the air handling unit at Lakeside and replacement of the small boiler at the district office) can be completed using referendum money, because of a favorable construction market right now.

"We should see good bidding numbers when we go out for bids, because construction is down," Miller said.

The plan is to go out for bids in January or early February on the maintenance projects to obtain the most competitive bids and plan start dates as soon as possible.

Miller said some of the maintenance projects could begin before the end of the school year, but roofs would most likely start in June after the last day of school.

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