PENNCREST approves more Cambridge Springs improvements

HAYFIELD TOWNSHIP — PENNCREST School Board unanimously approved $7.9 million in improvements at the district's Cambridge Springs schools during its meeting Tuesday at Saegertown Junior-Senior High.

The work, which the board approved by an 8-1 vote, comes after $4.1 million in improvements that were completed over the summer.

Board member Brian Custard, the lone dissenter, cited fiscal concerns for district residents in explaining his opposition.

"I just was talking to some of the voters and constituents who are on or below the poverty level and were told they would only have a $10 a month increase in their taxes, but it was not true," Custard said. "I have to vote no on this, and it's not because I'm against Cambridge Springs being improved. It's because those who don't have enough money to pay the increase that we gave them in a 4-mill tax increase are suffering, and they need to have a voice."

Board members in June approved a 4-mill tax increase, which was more than double the next highest increase in the preceding 12 years.

According to board discussions that preceded the tax hike, an increase in the homestead exemption was expected to offset much of the tax increase. District officials projected a net annual increase of $71.83 for the owner of a property assessed at the district's median value — not quite $6 per month. For those not eligible for the exemption, the monthly increase would be just over $10.

The work approved Tuesday consists of two contracts: one for $6.2 million with McClure Company of Harrisburg and another for $1.2 million with Hallstrom Construction Inc. of DuBois.

Work to be completed at the high school includes, ventilation system heating and air conditioning upgrades; replacement of water pipes; installation of LED light fixtures; removal, patching and painting of casework; removal and replacement of ceilings; and asbestos abatement that will include floor replacements.

Both the high school and elementary school will benefit from paving and sidewalk repairs. The elementary school will also receive a new natural gas-powered emergency generator.

The work is being funded in large part by a Pennsylvania Department of Education grant for $4.3 million to the district that was announced in September. The additional $3.5 million will be paid with remaining funds from bonds issued in 2022.

The scope of work falls short of the $12.3 million in needed repairs for the two schools that a McClure official projected last month. Addressing all of the work would have required the district to issue more bonds and would likely have resulted in a tax increase of about 1.25 mills or an equivalent amount of budget cuts, according to Business Manager Kristen Eckart.

The renovations at the Cambridge Springs campus are the latest in a series of improvements to schools in each of the district's campuses over recent years, all funded by $32 million in bonds issued between 2020 and 2022. Extensive work over the summer in Cambridge Springs included replacement of the high school's hot water heating plant and emergency generator; replacement of windows in 99 window openings at the elementary school, 79 at the high school and many of the doors, frames and door hardware at both schools; replacement of the elementary school roof; and upgrades to the restrooms, locker rooms and sewer lines.