- Whitehall-Coplay School District reviewed upcoming capital improvement plan projects
- Various projects, including roofing repairs at the high school, are intended to help reduce spending down the road
- The committee also heard progress updates on a project to convert a former school building into district offices
WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Whitehall-Coplay School District is gearing up for a list of capital improvement projects in 2024 following a Monday evening committee meeting.
As the fall sets in, Whitehall-Coplay is looking toward the future and a series of projects slated for next year, covering the high school, middle school and Zephyr Elementary School.
At the top of the list are two roofing repair projects for the high school, including re-coating the roofs over the A through G wings and the F wing, priced at $187,594 and $161,719, respectively.
Masonry repairs to the middle school’s north façade come in at $107,812.50.
Zephyr will see a slew of projects, including repairs to gypsum boards (dry wall) in classrooms at a cost of $28,750; repainting of classrooms for $116,437.50; replacement of wall pads in the gymnasium for $14,317.50; the addition of sound attenuation panels for $14,375; repainting of the hollow metal door frames for $32,343.75; repainting of exposed concrete masonry unit walls for $66,843.75; and the replacement of wall pads at the stage front for $1,150.
“With a campus like this here, you're always doing a roof project. There are two small sections of the high school roof that are in need of repair at this point in time, but we don't have major roof issues. We just did the refurbishing of the roof at the existing Gockley [Elementary School] as a part of that renovation process."Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Robert Steckel
Michael Sander, project manager at D'Huy Engineering Inc., said these improvements are intended to address small issues early in order to prevent the occurrence of more serious repairs in the future.
Ultimately, a thorough analysis of each building on the district’s campus helps to evaluate whether individual repairs will suffice, or if a completely new building is warranted.
“Overall, you guys are doing very well -– your buildings are well maintained, your staff has been on top of them,” Sander said.
Superintendent Robert Steckel took a moment to remind the board and public “that we are trying to predict and forecast where we need to put our money for maintenance and repair throughout the campus” in an attempt at “knocking off as much of the deferred maintenance as possible.”
The 2024 capital improvement projects will be funded via the district’s capital reserve, Steckel added.
According to Steckel, roof maintenance is a necessity for the high school in particular due to its age and the varying ages of the extensions which have been built off of the main structure. Despite how it may seem, repairs are not a dire need, but rather a practical initiative to prevent more serious and costly repairs, he said.
“With a campus like this here, you're always doing a roof project. There are two small sections of the high school roof that are in need of repair at this point in time, but we don't have major roof issues. We just did the refurbishing of the roof at the existing Gockley [Elementary School] as a part of that renovation process,” Steckel said.
“But really, we're just mindful of where our warranties are at with our roofs, kind of getting ahead of them. These two small sections here at the high school need to be replaced. This building, you know, was built in the ‘50s and has had multiple additions. So any time you have multiple additions, you have different ages of roofs -– you're kind of always working on something here at the high school.”
Sander noted the fall tends to be a busy time to undergo construction projects, though it is advantageous to get a jump start on the roofing projects now.
According to Sander, numerous projects conducted throughout the summer are just about finished, and once paperwork is finalized, the district may see some savings on those endeavors.
Beyond that, Steve Behrens of Breslin Architects provided a recap on the progress of converting the former Gockley Elementary School into district office space. Behrens said the architectural firm is exploring “cost-effective, sort of down-to-earth ways of converting this building into spaces.”
Some challenges for the building will include opening up spaces for more natural light and infrastructure upgrades to electrical, sprinkler and security systems.
Steckel noted once the district office is complete, it will open up more space at the high school, where committee and board meetings are currently held. In addition, the new building will unify numerous offices –- such as human resources, special education, registration coordination and other services -– under one roof.
“This will unify them to be a part of our central office, getting everybody in one location so that we can work together efficiently and we can be accessible to our schools, but our schools are getting spaces back, too,” Steckel said.
