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Altoona extends reach

Friday, May 29, 2015
Chuck Rupnow, Leader-Telegram staff

A development agreement approved Thursday night by the Altoona City Council will be "good for the city and the Altoona school district," according to City Administrator Mike Golat. 

"This will be good for the city and district in many regards," Golat said, referring to a plan to provide infrastructure to the district's new elementary school site on the city's east side. "The school needs it and the city will benefit from it as well."

The agreement calls for the city to pay $260,500 and the school district to pay $579,000 for infrastructure development. It also calls for the district to sell 3.8 acres of land to the city for $76,000. That land will be used for development of a new well and water tower.

"The agreement allows the city to someday extend water and sewer easterly along (highway) KB and along Bartlett Avenue," Golat said.

Golat said the city's overall infrastructure, including water service "is doing just fine."

Altoona has seen recent rapid business and residential expansion in several areas of the city.

The school district's $23 million construction project includes an $12 million elementary school on district-owned land along Highway KB and improvements to the current campus on Bartlett Avenue.

A plan earlier presented to the school board estimated the minimal cost to provide sewer and water services to the new school site at $526,000. That included a grinder pump lift station and force main for the sanitary sewer and an 8-inch water main, but Golat said those utilities would not have accommodated much growth in that area beyond serving the school.

Total utility extensions to the new school, including gas and electricity, are estimated at $1.5 million.

A groundbreaking ceremony at the new school site is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, with the public invited. The event also will be streamed online at http://www.altoona.k12.wi.us/​railstv.cfm.

The new 87,000-square foot school is expected to open for the fall 2016 semester.

Voters approved the district's construction project in a November by a 2,262-1,578 vote.

The district faced overcrowding at Pedersen Elementary School and at Altoona Middle School, which also houses Altoona Intermediate School for fourth and fifth grades.

New roofs and heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements are needed at the middle and high schools, and safe vestibule entries will be built for both schools.

The district hopes to build a safe vestibule entry in the high school lobby this summer.

District enrollment has increased from 1,386 to 1,580 since 2000.

Rupnow can be reached at 715-830-5831 or chuck.rupnow@ecpc.com.

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