Cranberry School Board members are looking to scale down the scope of the renovation projects at the school district’s elementary and high school buildings.
Board members deliberated for hours at their meeting this week as they decided which repairs to the buildings were most needed.
“What can we really afford? We’ve always been fiscally conservative but now I’m wondering if we should be less frugal (in order to repair as much as possible),” board president Tom Neely said. “We want to do it all but we can’t.”
The $3 million reduction means many of the proposed cosmetic changes will need to be put on hold so the most important upgrades get the attention they need.
The McClure Company contracting firm is promising year over year savings in energy expenditures and maintenance for all its upgrades, and it has been determined that updating the old heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is a priority.
“It’s not really a savings, it’s a cost avoidance,” school board member Kyle Melat said.
While several projects will be temporarily scrapped, many important upgrades are dependent on other upgrades.
“Can we do one without the other,” Neely asked as he referred to the central heating plant and domestic water systems (water heaters).
“No, you’re going to want to do those in conjunction — it’s just as antiquated,” Petrazio said.
The board decided to move forward with modifications to the original HVAC plan, modifications to lighting and modified renovations to the high school.
Much of this is to be determined as McClure is expected to submit a revised plan in the near future that will meet the district’s budgetary needs.
