RIMERSBURG, Pa. (EYT) — As part of Union School District’s continuing major renovations saga, the school board heard a presentation from McClure Company, the integrated engineering company that the district has worked with over the last eight months.
(Pictured above: Sligo Elementary School.)
Eric Petrazio, a representative from McClure Company, presented the board with two options for building renovations, stating: “We did make some changes to the work we proposed originally, based on the finances and needs of the district, understanding that there’s a certain dollar figure the district is trying to stay under and incorporating a significant amount of changes in the building and get things updated and revitalized.”
The first option, Program A, Petrazio described as “robust” and “incorporates most of the needs at the high school, as well as Sligo.”
The second option, Program B, only focuses on the essentials at the high school — the boiler and water mains — but contains all of the major renovations to Sligo Elementary.
According to documents reviewed by exploreClarion.com, Program A’s total project cost for the district is $10,503,955.00 and would produce total operational and energy savings of $2,610,493.00.
Program B, on the other hand, has a total cost of $6,214,211.00 with total operational and energy savings of $1,436,896.00.
Improvements at the elementary school would focus on new windows and HVAC; provide for a new electrical system and fire alarm; create a building envelope to keep outside contaminants out; renovate the bathrooms; and install a 200 kW backup diesel generator, according to Petrazio.
Much of the cost reduction would come from exposed ceiling ductwork, which McClure originally planned to hide above the ceiling.
“We are trying to reduce those costs for the benefit of the district,” said Petrazio.
At the high school, McClure proposed various upgrades, including possible window replacements, HVAC, lighting, and electrical panel upgrades, and a building envelope.
The most important part of the high school renovations, however, would be improvements to the building’s water mains.
“We believe the domestic water mains and the hot water mains off the heating system and the central plant are some of the most essential things in this building that need to be done, as it has been experienced the piping is so thin, it’s crushing in some spots where things are laying on it,” said Petrazio.
The goal, Petrazio said, was to have a contract for the construction presented and approved by the board’s regular meeting on November 18.
He stated McClure Company could guarantee the pricing until December; however, after that time period, it was impossible due to market volatility.
“The longer we wait,” Petrazio said, “the harder it’s going to be to get it lined up.”
The problem for the board, as was evident at their last meeting, was financial.
Union Superintendent Dr. John Kimmel stated the district has a bond issue of approximately $2.7 million and will receive an additional $2.25 million in ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds over the next three years.
“If we can use our fund balance to pay off the current bond and then utilize those ESSER funds to recoup that money through our normal operating costs, we can start fresh with a new bond for this project,” said Kimmel.
“You can’t do Program A,” said board member Steve Wiencek. “You’re $2.5 million short, and that’s with a 20-year bond issue. You can do B, but you have to be willing to increase taxes each year by $5,000.00 for the first ten years, $2,000.00 for the next two years, and use all that money to pay off the bond in the end. That’s going to limit you. If something else breaks down, you’re very limited in what you’re able to do.”
Wiencek stated he was even unsure if the district could issue another bond for the construction due to its financial condition and lack of recurring income.
One large item of concern was the proposed 200kW generator in the elementary school.
Wiencek argued it was an unnecessary expense, though other board members disagreed.
“If you don’t have electric in the middle of the winter,” said Kimmel, “and you don’t have a backup, your pipes are freezing, and you’ll have other problems. We’ve only expanded our electrical demand over the last 20 years. We’ve never gone backwards.”
Board president Brenda Brinker said the larger generator would be better and gave an anecdote about her time as a teacher at Union when the heat in her classroom went out for several days.
“I tend to go with the bigger one,” she commented. “I guess I just think it was damn cold.”
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