Norwin seeks volunteers for input in a master facilities plan
Norwin is seeking volunteers from the North Huntingdon-Irwin area who want to serve on a new facilities action committee that will review the state of the school district’s buildings and grounds.
Superintendent Jeff Taylor said Monday the school district has not set a target number for the volunteers on the committee, which includes school administrators and school board members.
The district wants volunteers to provide input into the creation of a 10-year master facilities plan that consists of a review of all facility-related capital projects that were identified in the recent master facilities study completed by VEBH Architects of Mt. Lebanon.
Norwin said it prefers volunteers with diverse backgrounds in facilities management, heating, ventilating and air conditioning, engineering, building maintenance and repair, construction and other related areas. Volunteers will need to carefully review a significant number of documents prior to committee meetings so they can have meaningful discussions, the district said.
VEBH Architects told school officials in August that Norwin needs between $15.4 million and $17 million in repairs to the district’s buildings, stadium and pavement.
All of Norwin’s four elementary schools, along with the intermediate, middle and high schools, have projects that should be addressed within the next two years, said Cassandra Renninger, a principal in VEBH Architects. Those projects were singled out as a higher priority because of safety concerns, to prevent future deterioration or because something exceeded its useful life, Renninger said.
When the plan was discussed earlier this fall, Brian Carlton, school board president, said that even though the public may consider the facilities new, they are in need of repairs.
The school district in November 2019 hired VEBH Architects to review its facilities and make recommendations on repairs needed and how to save energy at the school district’s buildings. Taylor had previously said he hoped the school board would be in a position to approve the plan in November, but “due to covid, that timeline cannot happen.”
Any resident with interest in serving on the committee should complete an online application on the school district’s website by Friday.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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