Apr 4, 2007 By Joyce Koballa 4 min read

PERRYOPOLIS – The Central and Perry elementary schools in Frazier School District no longer may be able to get by on the temporary repairs made to them five years ago, while the business manager indicated the cost for renovations could be out of the question for taxpayers. “I don’t know if the district could afford the taxes,” said Tom Shetterly.

Shetterly, along with Ken Meadows, elementary school principal; John Phillips, building, grounds and maintenance supervisor; and school Director David Simmons, recently conducted a walk-though of both buildings after learning that moisture under Perry Elementary School’s foundation was causing the gymnasium floor to shift on various occasions.

What they found, said Simmons, turned out to be an array of problems.

“A lot of things are not working because they’re broke down or disconnected,” said Simmons.

Phillips said the moisture problem is attributed to the fact that Perry was constructed on a swamp and a sump pump installed several years ago in the crawl space has to be monitored to avoid water build-up.

Following the walk-though, Phillips devised a punch list of items that need addressed at both schools which are over 35 years old and have fallen below the building code standards required by the state Department of Education.

“You have to look at the big picture,” said Phillips.

An issue with the air quality at Perry and Central involving ventilation also is a problem that dates back to 2001, although an inspection of Perry by the state Department of Health and tests to both schools determined that air-management activities provided for the reasonable safety of students and employees.

According to Phillips, the electric heating systems and boilers at Perry and Central need to be replaced with a gas unit, but he said the cost to replace the individual parts for the current systems would be astronomical. Phillips noted that Central also needs a new fire alarm system because the school has no smoke detectors and no automatic alarm.

For safety reasons, the board agreed to move the offices at each school and install security cameras several years ago.

Other areas of concern at both schools include the windows; doors; restrooms; outside lighting; lockers; kitchen at Perry, which is outdated; and renovations to the sewage treatment plant at Central.

The initial price tag to renovate both buildings was estimated at $8.7 million in a feasibility study conducted by Hayes Large Architects of Pittsburgh in 1998, which expired in 2002. At that time, the board discussed subsidizing the project with the refinancing of a $7.1 million bond issue from 1992 that would have produced about $300,000 in upfront savings.

However, after interviewing several architects for the project, the board halted any further proceedings when they couldn’t agree on the feasibility of operating one or two elementary schools despite statistics from the Department of Education that projected a decrease in future enrollment.

Under Department of Education guidelines, state reimbursement for school construction projects is based on the capacity of a building, which can be justified by present or projected student enrollment.

The state also considers the size of the building and the district’s wealth. Frazier is classified as a low-income, rural school.

Instead of pursing renovations, the former school board agreed to earmark 3 mills of property tax revenue and increase the earned income tax under the budget, which amounted to roughly $136,287.

Shetterly said the money was placed in the district’s capital reserve fund and has continued to earn about $4,000 in interest each month.

The district also received a $419,000 building renovation grant the same year from the U.S. Department of Education that was used to replace the roofs at Perry and Central.

The board also was spared the cost of design specifications for the project from Burt Hill after the firm exceeded its initial quote for project drawings involving a field house canopy at the middle school.

Since the project did not cost the full amount, the remaining $105,388 was used to remove asbestos from areas determined by infrared testing.

Within the last year, the board took action to change the parking and bus turnaround at Perry, put a new driveway in back of the school and replace the tennis courts. They recently awarded a contract for a new basketball court.

Under the 2006-07 budget, the board agreed to raise taxes by two-thirds of a mill, and with Act 1 now in place, Shetterly said the board is limited as to what amount taxes can be raised without court approval.

Within the last five years, Shetterly said the district had increases of 1 mill in 2004-05 under the county’s tax reassessment with additional increases of .8 mills in 2005-06 and two-thirds of a mill for this year.

“It’s time for replacement,” said Phillips.