Quaker Valley officials approve variety of high school upgrades

Quaker Valley High School will receive some upgrades at the end of the school year while the school board moves forward with plans to replace it.

The school board recently approved several contracts for work there.

The upper asphalt drives and parking lot will be paved and restriped by Bedford-based Clark Contractors at a cost of nearly $96,000.

The company also was awarded a $10,300 contract to construct an enclosure underneath a section of the stadium bleachers.

The school library’s carpet will be replaced by Butler Floor & Carpet at a cost of about $24,000.

All three deals were made possible through the Keystone Purchasing Network, which is a cooperative purchasing program administered by the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 that offers many pre-bid contracts for school districts to save them time and money.

Other high school projects awarded by the board this month include a proposal of nearly $22,000 by All American Athletics to refinish the high school gym floor and a $39,700 replacement of the stadium’s public address system by Glenshaw-based Horizon Information Services.

Those two contracts were obtained through COSTARS, the state’s cooperative purchasing program.

All projects will be done over the summer so they don’t interrupt classes and are expected to be completed before the start of the next school year.

These restoration projects were last done in 1998.

“The district developed a five-year capital funding plan that supports investments in the maintenance and replacement of the district’s buildings, grounds and equipment,” district director of facilities Charlie Gauthier said. “Projects and investments are considered based on health/safety and school needs.

“Health and safety projects are always considered first, as the health and safety of our students and staff is our priority. All projects, except the stadium PA system, are considered health and safety. The PA system is a replacement for an outdated system.”

The board approved spending about $192,000 on facility upgrades just before it rehired the firm Thomas & Williamson for consulting services regarding a proposed new high school. Those services will cost slightly more than $444,000.

Gauthier said it’s important for the district to invest in its facilities while it looks toward the future.

“The health and safety of our students and staff is always our first priority when maintaining the existing school,” Gauthier said. “We will continue to do so until we are in a new facility. This is where we are for now, and we are committed to keeping it healthy and safe until our new facility is built.”

About 600 students attend classes at the high school.