Elmbrook board approves sale of vacant Hillside school with 10-year deed restriction

The Elmbrook School District Board of Education voted to approve a resolution authorizing the sale of the district’s vacant Hillside school property, adding a 10-year deed restriction to limit future uses.

Board members and residents who spoke at the Jan. 14 meeting said the decision was driven by rising maintenance costs and demolition estimates for the deteriorating building. The motion to approve the resolution, made during the board’s action session, passed on a roll call vote with six yeses and no recorded no votes; one board member was absent.

The board was told the former school has been unused since the 2011–12 school year and requires “envelope” repairs and roof work, with routine maintenance averaging about $50,000 annually. District staff said an estimated $1,000,000 in capital work would likely be required over the next three summers to preserve the structure; demolition estimates provided by the district’s construction partner were also in the neighborhood of $1,000,000.

Resident Peter Stoll asked whether the agreed sale price reflected fair market value…