Conemaugh Township Area School District plans three-year renovation project, tax increases

DAVIDSVILLE ― As the Conemaugh Township Area School District prepares to graduate its 85th class of high school students on May 30, the administration and board of directors are preparing to guide the district through a capital improvement project intended to secure its educational future in Somerset County.

This summer, the district will start a three-year, $10.6 million renovation project at its middle/high school and elementary school buildings, making critical improvements to its buildings, equipment and technology that will likely benefit future generations of students.

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'We are making a commitment here'

District administrators and school board directors held an open house in April to show residents the work that is planned, which includes roof, window and boiler replacements at both schools, adding air conditioning units to the libraries at both schools, adding security (door fob) improvements at both schools, making upgrades to the high school auditorium, replacing the high school’s 40-year-old emergency generator, replacing cracked flooring in the high school’s science labs, updating the inside and outside lighting at both schools, and upgrading Wi-Fi access at both schools.

“This is a 1938 vintage high school and a 1960 vintage elementary school,” said Susan Saylor-Stahl, school board president. “The bones of the buildings are good, but we are making a commitment here to say we’re staying in this community. That’s how we look at it. We’re committed to the students, the faculty and the community here. And so we want to be able to get the buildings strong and good, so we don’t have to worry about them for another 25 years.”

Bond issue, tax increases planned

The district has secured a $10 million bond issue to pay for the work and is applying for $7.5 million in grants to potentially cover parts of the project. Meanwhile, to pay for the bond issue and interest, the district is planning a 5.38-mill property tax increase that will be spread out over three years: a 2.09-mill increase for the 2024-25 school year, followed by a 1.68-mill increase in the 2025-26 school year and a 1.61-mill increase in the 2026-27 school year, according to information provided by the school district.

This is the first tax increase that the school district has proposed since 2011, according to district records. The district’s current property tax rate is 27.96 mills.

The increase would add an extra $50 to the school real estate tax bill for the average Conemaugh Township home in year one, $39 in year two and $38 in year three, according to a graphic provided by the school district. For Paint Township homeowners in the district, the increase would be, on average, $35 for the first year, $28 for the second and $27 for the third year. Benson Borough residents would pay, on average, an additional $24 in property taxes for the first year, $20 for the second year and $19 for the third year.

Addressing the need to replace the roofs at both schools led to the district identifying a broader set of projects that should be completed as well, Saylor-Stahl said.

“We need new roofs at both of the schools, so that’s really what drove this,” she said. “They’re at their warranty now (25 years) so some of them are breaking around the edges, have some wrinkling from the wind. We need to be able to replace both of those (roofs).

“So, when we’re looking at that investment, we’re saying, ‘OK, so what else needs to be done.’ If we’re going to undertake roofs, that’s a big project, so what else needs to be done? So, we’re looking to see what else needs to be done.”

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Finding energy savings

The district hired The Efficiency Network (TEN), an energy services company, to identify areas where energy efficiency could be improved at the two schools. The firm’s recommendations include upgrades to the heating and hot water systems at both schools, replacing several windows at each school, replacing the air conditioning unit for the high school auditorium and updating to LED light fixtures in areas inside and outside each school.

The libraries at each school will also get air conditioning to prevent mold growth on the books and materials inside caused by humidity, Saylor-Stahl said.

“So we’ve started with the roofs, we packaged in the boilers, we packaged in the emergency generators, we packaged in some upgrades here (the auditorium), the lighting, there’s a lot of energy efficiencies with the boilers, the emergency generator, with the lighting, some windows that need replaced at the elementary school,” she said.

“Again, we thought we were smart in taking that kind of approach, while we are going to be making that commitment, to see what else needs to be done. We don’t want to be in a constant flux of construction, repairing and redoing something all the time. We’re trying to be smart at identifying those projects that are important, prioritizing them, asking help from the community to help us fund them, get that done and then continue to move on and educate our kids.”

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Technology, athletic field upgrades

Technology upgrades planned include additional door fobs for security at both schools, as well as expanding the Wi-Fi network to provide broadband internet access to outdoor zones at each school. The district plans to apply for grants to help cover this work.

Improvements are also planned at the high school’s athletic facilities, such as making repairs to the masonry walls and resurfacing the floor in the gymnasium; adding air conditioning to the fieldhouse to keep equipment from rusting; changing the grass field to turf at the athletic stadium, replacing the cracked track surface with new materials and upgrading to LED lighting at the stadium for more energy savings.

Changing the football field to a turf surface would allow for unlimited usage, compared to the current maximum use of 50 times per year for the grass surface, said Brandon Studer, the district’s business manager and varsity football head coach, who was answering questions at the fieldhouse during the open house.

“This would take the field from limited use to unlimited,” he said, noting that many of the other schools in the Heritage Conference also have turf fields. “We have a beautiful place and we can’t use it. It doesn’t make sense.”

Making a commitment for the future

Saylor-Stahl said that these planned investments will strengthen the district’s work to provide quality education in the Conemaugh Township area, work that has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and U.S. News and World Report, among others.

The school district currently has 880 students enrolled from kindergarten through 12th grade, she said.

“We have gotten great accolades for our small rural school district. We won a Blue Ribbon award twice at the elementary school, that’s like winning the Super Bowl in the world of education and we’re so proud of that. Our PSSA scores are always good,” Saylor-Stahl said.

“Typically, our little school performs so well, so this is a commitment we’re making to say, ‘We’re staying here, we’re going to be here.’ So we’re trying to shore up the buildings, making sure that the things that need to be done with the roofs, the boilers, the windows, to make it energy efficient, that we’re using tax dollars wisely so we don’t have to be stopping school because the roof’s leaking.

“People have been very supportive, truly. People in the community understand. Nobody wants to have their taxes raised, but we look at it that we only ask when we really need their help.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Conemaugh Township Area plans 3-year renovation project, tax increases