District says Jackson school design on schedule; small survey work under way and summer projects targeted at Green Tree and Badger

Superintendent Wimmer and district staff provided a referendum update to the West Bend Joint School District No. 1 school board on Feb. 3, 2025, saying the Jackson project is in the design phase and on a schedule that should make visible work at the Jackson site about a year from now.

Wimmer said the district’s vision team at Jackson has completed initial design work with partners from EUA and Findorff and that school-based staff, families and other building stakeholders contributed to the visioning process. Tim Harder (staff) told the board the district has begun preliminary surveying at the Jackson site — small drill-hole borings and soil checks — and is refining schedules with design and construction partners.

Harder said the district is temporarily targeting summer work at Green Tree, McLean and a portion of Badger (the gym and bleachers). The goal is to complete roughly 90% of identified Badger gym work before the start of the next school year and to complete secure-entrance upgrades and interior work at other sites so those buildings open with improved security and indoor systems.

Wimmer said district teams are also starting to identify the many project teams that will be needed at each building (front office staff, school police officers, custodial and maintenance staff, and others) and that the district will convene those teams as design and scheduling firm up.

Harder said the schedule is tight but that the district and its partners are committed to it. He said some site-level work (for example front parking-lot reconfiguration at Green Tree) could be staged later if plan commission approvals or sequencing require it. Wimmer said the district has begun preliminary conversations with financial partners and expects to bring a financing plan to the board in March to secure favorable borrowing rates.

Board members raised a common question about handling repairs in buildings that will be replaced or substantially remodeled — for example, when a heating unit fails or a roof needs attention while a building has a limited useful life. Harder said the district will continue to address immediate operational repairs (heat, leaks) while trying to avoid unnecessary long-lived capital investments in a facility scheduled for replacement; the district will weigh each case by cost and longevity of the fix.

Wimmer said the district plans spring engagement and reporting milestones, including more comprehensive renderings and financing details when those elements are firm. She said the Jackson project will have additional public engagement with school staff, families and community members as design renders become available.