Plum School District plans $5 million in facility improvements this school year

Plum School District officials plan to spend $5 million on building repairs and upgrades this school year.

“We’re doing it in phases based on priority, with safety being the top priority,” district business manager John Zahorchak said. “We’re also taking on some of this work on our own (with district workers) in order to be fiscally responsible to the taxpayer.”

A presentation of the anticipated capital projects, including the administration’s funding plan, was posted to the district’s website, pbsd.net, at the bottom of August 2019’s “related documents.”

Many of the projects were identified a few years ago by the previous administration’s 10-year capital expenditure plan, and confirmed through a recent facilities audit by Constellation Energy.

Zahorchak said the projects were not done in previous years due to lack of funding.

Constellation’s report also added external lighting, auditorium lighting, water efficiencies and weatherization projects that could save the district $50,000 in energy costs annually over the next 15 years.

“The reason why we’re doing them is not for energy savings,” Zahorchak said. “We’re doing them because they need to be done.”

He said the district can also save money on certain projects by having them done in-house instead of bringing in contractors.

Phase 1 is scheduled for the first half of the 2019-20 school year. Work includes: $53,000 for external, auditorium and gym lighting at Oblock; $100,000 for external and auditorium lighting at the high school; $21,000 in concrete work throughout the district; $35,000 for bleacher repairs and $209,000 for weatherization district-wide prior to winter.

Phase 2 is slated for the second half of the year. Work includes $477,000 in Oblock HVAC upgrades, $1.6 million in high school HVAC upgrades and $520,000 for other lighting upgrades.

Phase 3 work is projected to take place next summer. Projects include a new roof and boilers at Center Elementary, cooling tower at the high school and HVAC rooftop units at Oblock.

Slippery Rock Roofing has nearly completed its Oblock Junior High roof replacement project. The estimated cost was $500,000.

Funding for the projects include draining the remaining $3.6 million from a $10 million 2014 bond originally taken out to build the new Regency Park elementary school.

District officials also anticipate $3.5 million in instant interest rate savings by refinancing $70 million in four old bonds through underwriters Boenning & Scattergood.

“We’ll have enough money in our capital project funds to do the first three phases and still have money in the end to do other things, like the high school football field, purchase buses and some of the things we have down the pike in phase four, so we should be good,” said Steve Schlauch, school director and finance committee chairman.

Zahorchak said selling those bonds is expected to be complete in December.

“I feel pretty good about the debt refinance because rates are what they are,” he said. “You don’t know until you actually go to the market and see what the rates are going to be.”

The Regency building is up for sale at $1.2 million, as well as a district property on School Road across from Pivik Elementary at $250,000.

Zahorchak said the district currently has no buyers for those properties, and does not anticipate any sales until at least next year. Any funds from the selling the properties would go toward more capital projects.

Energy savings from Constellation’s projects and in-house work would go toward general operations.