Elmbrook board hears strong public push to demolish Hillside and keep the land

Elmbrook School Board President Scott Wheeler opened a November public listening session on options for the vacant Hillside Elementary property and turned the floor to Chris Thompson, the district’s chief strategy officer, for background and analysis.

Thompson told the audience the district’s master facility planning work considered three options: keep the building as‑is (with ongoing maintenance), demolish and retain the 9‑acre property, or sell the site subject to city permitting. He said the district currently spends about $34,000 a year to maintain Hillside and cited an architect’s assessment that the building is “end of life,” estimating roughly $1,800,000 in repairs over the next eight years to keep it viable. Thompson also noted the site’s roughly 9 acres is smaller than the 12‑acre guideline often used for new elementary schools and that district enrollment projections show no near‑term need to reopen the site as an elementary school.

Why it matters: the decision would trade upfront costs and neighborhood impacts…