Latest news with #EisenhowerElementarySchool
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma lawmakers eye investing millions to upgrade schools on Altus, Enid air force bases
Eisenhower Elementary School, located on Vance Air Force Base in Enid, is pictured. (Photo by Billy Hefton/Enid News & Eagle) (Editor's note: This photo is available to republish with only this content and must be credited to the photographer.) OKLAHOMA CITY — State senators on Wednesday advanced a measure out of committee that would allow public schools located on military bases to receive millions of dollars in special state aid to make needed renovations. Critics of the plan though said providing carving out funding for schools only located at military installations does nothing to help other communities that need state assistance to upgrade their own aging school infrastructure. Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, said House Bill 2516 creates the Base Infrastructure Needs and Development-Schools Revolving Fund, which would serve as the framework for lawmakers to spend funds to improve public schools on military installations. The funding would be aimed at decreasing the likelihood of military base closures or increasing the chances of expansion. While the measure does not yet provide any direct funding for the schools, he said lawmakers are looking at potentially investing about $21 million to make needed repairs to education infrastructure at military installations in Enid, Altus and McAlester. Under proposed budget talks, the school at Vance Air Force Base in Enid would receive about $5 million and Altus Air Force Base's school would receive about $6.2 million. He said legislators are also considering providing funding for a 2-mile road project at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. Gollihare said the public schools at Altus and Vance air force bases were built in the 1960s and are owned and operated by local school districts within the boundaries of the military installations. The schools are included on a federal priority list that identifies them as being outdated, in disrepair, in need of upgrading or having too many students and not enough capacity, he said. They are part of the federally-run Public Schools on Military Installations program. Under the program, which was created by former Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, the federal government contributes 80% of the project's cost while the state or local community provides the remaining 20%, Gollihare said. Federal grants can be used to build, repair, renovate, or expand schools. He said while the Altus and Enid schools could theoretically use local bonds to pay for the construction, his understanding is both districts have already reached bonding capacity. Gollihare said this funding would represent an investment in the two bases which have a combined economic impact of over $1.2 billion and employ over 3,300 civilians and 3,500 military personnel. Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, said the legislation is very important to keep the Vance Air Force Base in Enid and to preserve the region's quality of life and the K-6th grade school. 'It's a good deal for the base and a good deal for the area,' Pederson said. But Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, who voted against the legislation, said lawmakers need to 'invest adequately in all public schools,' to address infrastructure issues equally statewide. 'I understand that these particular facilities might be in disrepair, but I think that it is incredibly important that we continue to point out that there are additional facilities in our local communities currently that have the same conditions, and so carving out a specific subset does not ensure that all students have the same opportunities,' she said. The measure, which has already cleared the state House, passed the Senate budget committee by 19-4 vote. It is now eligible to be heard in the Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A new park, Watertown Plank Road, and Honey Creek Parkway under construction in Wauwatosa
Spring means construction in many Wisconsin communities, including Wauwatosa, where road changes and bicycle improvements are in the works. Here's where to look out for construction throughout the city in the next few months, according to the City of Wauwatosa website. A project set to start in May will change traffic and add a median on Center Street near the Wauwatosa West High School and Eisenhower Elementary School parking lot between 114th Street and 116th Street Construction is expected to last through late August. A new $4 million park near 116th and Gilbert Avenue is still under construction with plans to open around Memorial Day, which is May 26. Firefly Grove Park, which the city says is funded by grants with no taxpayer dollars, will include walking trails, a sledding hill, a playground, a pavilion, a sculpture garden, and more. It'll be the home to a giant troll by recycling artist Thomas Dambo. A bike pump track is another highly-anticipated amenity at the park, which the city estimates will be completed in July. A pump track is a looped circuit path, oftentimes made out of asphalt or dirt, for cyclists, people on scooters and skateboarders to enjoy. More information on the park can be found on Wauwatosa's website. The intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Honey Creek Parkway has been closed for a construction project that will replace a bridge, alleviate flooding at the creek and improve the area for pedestrians and bicycles. Construction started in March and is expected to last through November 2025. The city of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Department of Transportation and We Energies are all involved in the project. More: Poll: How important are sidewalks to you and your community? Let us know. More: Sidewalks in the Milwaukee suburbs: Why do some have them and others don't? A number of improvements are in the works for Watertown Plank Road and North 115th Street over the next two years. The city is repaving and narrowing Watertown Plank Road from 124th Street to 116th Street. It also plans to repave the road from 116th Street to the railroad bridge east of 113th Street. On both sides of Watertown Plank Road, off-street bike lanes and sidewalks will be constructed from124th Street to the bridge over the railroad tracks east of 113th Street. A multi-use trail along 115th Street will also be installed, connecting Watertown Plank Road to the Oak Leaf Trail near Underwood Parkway. The city of Wauwatosa provides a map of 2025 construction and a map of 2026 construction on its website. Anyone can sign up for construction updates regarding this project via email. Starting in March and lasting through the summer, 109th Street between Potter Road and Wisconsin Avenue will be closed to through traffic as the city updates the storm sewers and water main and repaves the street. Home to some of the Milwaukee region's most important medical institutions — including Children's Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin — the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa has undergone a flurry of growth in recent years, with construction cranes a seemingly permanent fixture. The Medical College is about to open a new cancer research center, plans are proceeding to build a nine-story tower at the front of Froedtert Hospital and a new state crime lab is coming to fruition on the southwest side of the complex. More: What is being built at the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa? Bridget Fogarty reports on Wauwatosa, Brookfield and Elm Grove for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at bfogarty@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's where to avoid construction in Wauwatosa this summer
