Bellbrook‑Sugar Creek board weighs options for aging Sugar Creek Elementary campus

The Bellbrook‑Sugar Creek Board of Education spent much of its Oct. 24 meeting reviewing the condition, costs and possible futures for the Sugar Creek Elementary campus, with staff reporting an annual operating shortfall and presenting options that range from keeping the status quo to auctioning or selling the property under Ohio statutory rules.

Business manager Jeff Heckley told the board the downtown campus covers 8.41 acres and includes five buildings, and that "we currently bring in some income through rent of $58,400" while operating expenses total $101,758, leaving the district with a net deficit of "$43,398," figures he said the district is exploring ways to reduce. He outlined repair and replacement estimates that include roughly $364,000 to replace two roofs, a boiler‑system replacement estimate of about $120,000, roughly $50,000 in asphalt repairs and dozens of aging rooftop AC units; staff said cumulative exposure through 2030 could range "between a half‑million to three‑quarters of a million dollars" if…