Two school districts — Somers-Lakeside and Whitefish — are requesting special levy approval during the May 5 election. 

These general fund operation and maintenance levies cover a broad range of day-to-day expenses that keep the schools operating such as building repairs or upgrades, heating/cooling, lighting, security, staffing, emergency preparedness and classroom supplies.

Somers-Lakeside is requesting $185,000 per year. If the levy is approved by voters, owners of homes valued at $200,000 could anticipate taxes would increase by about $19.09 annually.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 5 at Somers Middle School, 315 School Addition Road, Somers, and at Lakeside Elementary School, 255 Adams St., Lakeside.

Whitefish’s elementary district is requesting a levy of $36,000. Only taxpayers living in the elementary district will vote open the levy. If it passes, taxpayers with homes valued at $200,000 can expect taxes to increase by about $1.86 annually.

Also on the Whitefish ballot is a contested race for a three-year term on the school board. Candidates are Bob Auerbach, Pat Jarvi and Marguerite Kaminski.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 5 in the board room of the district office at 600 E. Second St., Whitefish.

Years of deferred maintenance have left Somers-Lakeside School District grappling with how much longer Band-Aid fixes will hold up and keep students safe.

This was the message during a levy informational meeting and facility tour Thursday at Somers Middle School.

“We need supporters,” Somers-Lakeside Superintendent Paul Jenkins said. “The Legislature has done their job. We’ve been funded adequately, but the community needs to do their part.”

Cognizant that voters rejected a $200,000 levy in 2013, the school district requested less this year. The last time a levy passed was passed in Somers-Lakeside School District was in 2006. 

The $185,000 won’t cover everything on the laundry list of needs, but it will be a start to meeting urgent needs, Jenkins said, noting, “We’re playing catch-up.”

All the floor tiling and portions of the walls in the middle school contain asbestos. The tiling is a particular concern in places where it is peeling, cracking and missing — causing a tripping hazard and exposing asbestos-containing mastic. 

Energy waste from outdated lighting, heating, single-pane windows and bathroom fixtures is costing the district thousands each year in the middle school alone. Parts are no longer available, or running low, for some equipment original to the building. Retrofitting some old equipment is not cost-effective.

“A gravity-fed urinal system in the boys’ bathroom alone is using 100,000 gallons a year,” said Doug Brown, head of maintenance at the middle school. “And any time you touch a bathroom you have to be ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act’ compliant.”

Outside the cafeteria, Brown pointed out the walk-in freezer that contains all the food prepared for Somers and Lakeside schools. At the bottom, a seal has eroded, leaving a roughly three-quarter-inch gap that shouldn’t be there and where cold air, supposed to keep food chilled, is escaping. 

“We have some deep concerns here. We’re going to have to thaw it out in the summer and fix it,” Brown said, noting the best-case scenario would be buying a new freezer at a cost of roughly $30,000. 

The blacktop around the freezer dips in such a way that in the winter is hazardous because water pools and freezes. One staff member broke an arm. A 4-inch pavement “lip” prohibits wheelchair accessibility to the gym and is also a tripping hazard.

Parent Jeremiah Jennings didn’t have to attend the facility tour to be left with the impression that the money is necessary for the middle school and elementary. His children attend both schools. 

“I knew about it. I’ve been to school performances and I’ve seen things that need to be addressed,” Jennings said, noting that while the asbestos upset him, it’s also the tiny things such as the wasted water in the boys’ urinal. “These are things that should have been addressed sooner, and like Paul said all these problems are catching up.”

Somers Middle School currently has 191 students; there are 352 students at Lakeside Elementary.

For more information or to estimate the levy impact on a tax bill, visit www.somersdist29.org.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.