Crawford Central improvements are needed, but are they feasible?

Mar. 4—VERNON TOWNSHIP — Board member concerns about the financial future of Crawford Central School District have led to preliminary findings on needed maintenance for the district's school buildings. While definitive answers are still a long way off, any actions that result are virtually guaranteed to come with significant price tags.

Board members last month received a draft version of a district-wide feasibility study launched a year ago. Cataloging the defects, needed repairs and basic wear and tear of the district's schools in sometimes excruciating detail, the draft study outlines potential upgrades requiring nearly $50 million in construction costs alone. Factoring in related costs and projected inflation brings the total to more than $61 million.

But just because projects are included in the report doesn't mean they will necessarily be approved, board President Kevin Merritt cautioned following the meeting last week.

"I don't see anything happening any time soon," he said. "We've got to sit down and deliberate — what do we even want?"

With consideration of building closure and consolidation on the horizon, however, the eventual decisions could be difficult ones.

"Does that include closing buildings?" Merritt speculated. "Then you're going to have that uproar. It would be kind of nice to have the public involved — the parents. What do you guys think? What could you do? There's options."

The report breaks the various needs into four priority categories. Costs for top priority projects total an estimated $25.9 million for construction alone and $32 million with related costs and inflation.

A Feb. 19 presentation by officials from Sharon-based architectural firm HHSDR outlined the most pressing needs and questions to consider with little discussion from board members.

Discussion of the study is expected to be on the agenda when the board meets for its next work session March 18. Merritt said discussion is likely to extend for months after that as well. Any actual work that is approved probably won't start for at least a year, he added.

Approval of the $15,000 feasibility study last year came in response to board concerns about an upcoming "financial cliff" set to occur at the end of the current school year.

After receiving about $12.3 million in pandemic relief funding over three years, the federal subsidies will end this year, leading to a sharp drop in revenues. Expenses, on the other hand, are expected to continue growing at a pace similar to that seen in recent years. The combination, they projected, could create a deficit of several million dollars.

One bright side to the projected cliff was that relief was in sight: District debt payments of $5.6 million this year and $4.7 million next year shrink to just $180,000 the two following years before disappearing altogether. Now the feasibility study raises the possibility that the district's projected debt-free status could be short-lived, even non-existent, Merritt acknowledged.

The financial considerations also come in a context that can't be ignored: The steady shrinkage of district enrollment is expected to continue apace. From 2009 to 2013, student population averaged about 3,865, according to the study. By 2022-23, that figure had shrunk 18 percent to 3,159. By 2032-33, the student population is expected to be down to 2,513, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education projections. If that prediction holds up, the district's enrollment will have shrunk by 35 percent in less than 25 years.

While the upgrades outlined in the study include many that are not needed immediately, several issues were singled out by HHSDR officials.

Among the priorities was Neason Hill Elementary School, the only school building rated in poor condition. West End Elementary was the only school building rated in good condition; all others were rated fair.

The 47-year-old Neason Hill has been "well maintained," according to HHSDR President Vincent Ordinario, but has never undergone significant renovations. Large-scale renovations have been undertaken at all of the district's other school buildings over the past 25 years, including four in the past 15 years: First District, Second District, West End and Cochranton elementary schools. East End Elementary, which no longer houses any district classes, was also among the elementary schools renovated 15 years ago.

Guiding board members through dozens of photos from the Neason Hill, Ordinario outlined needs ranging from minor fixes like missing guardrails to major projects, like repaving and curb replacement, all new windows, and extensive upgrades to the heating and ventilation system.

"It just continues on and on," Ordinario said amid the catalog of recommendations. "These aren't things that need done right away, but things to keep in mind as you think in the future of what things are in poor condition and what needs to be replaced."

Top priority needs alone are projected to exceed $12.5 million, according to estimates included in the study. Addressing all of the recommendations would cost nearly $14 million if the project were started next year.

Despite its 450-student capacity, Neason Hill enrollment is currently about 285, according to the study. Eight years from now, it is expected to be about 214.

Does it make sense to spend millions on a building that will be less than half full within a few years of the upgrades being completed? With other buildings in need of repair and experiencing similar enrollment declines, should the building in the poorest condition be shuttered, its students divided among other buildings?

Similar questions are likely to be asked regarding the biomass plant that provides energy to heat the Meadville Area Senior High-Meadville Area Middle School complex as well as Crawford Tech and Meadville Area Recreation Complex. Completed in late 2011 at a cost of about $3.5 million, the plant was expected to save the district approximately $1.5 million in energy costs over a 25-year lifespan. Less than 15 years later, it may not make sense to continue operating the plant.

Using wood chips as a fuel source, the biomass plant relies on a high-pressure steam system that engineer Jim Vizzini described as "very unusual" in a school district setting.

"We really never see that," Vizzini said.

Concerns about both maintenance and staffing add to the questions about the biomass plant.

The district has typically replaced 10 to 15 of the boiler's 138 steel tubes annually, but spent an unexpected $52,000 in late 2021 when 40 of the tubes were found to be corroded and in need of replacement. Now, according to the feasibility study, the boiler's refractory material, the heat-resistant brick lining in the interior of the boiler, is failing and must be replaced.

"That refractory's in very bad shape," Vizzini said, "and has to be replaced."

Replacing the human element that keeps the plant operating could be more difficult.

"There is serious concern about the long-term operation of the plant due to the limited available personnel that can operate such a complex utility plant," the study stated.

The HHSDR presentation to the board last month shed additional light on just how limited the personnel situation is.

"The gentleman that takes care of that plant," Vizzini told the board, "he's basically a one-man show and that's never a good thing."

Leaving a high-pressure steam system unmanned for much of the day on a regular basis, Vizzini added, "is not the safest thing to do."

No specific costs associated with the biomass plant were included in the feasibility study. Instead, three broad options were outlined for further consideration: investing in the current setup and continuing to operate the biomass plant despite possible savings from converting back to natural gas instead of wood chips; taking the biomass plant offline and renovating existing gas boilers for the MASH-MAMS complex; exploring a sale of the plant to a third-party operator.

The major downside to a return to natural gas heating is that while the high school, middle school and Crawford Tech are equipped to return to conventional boilers, it's not clear how the MARC would be powered.

It's not the only answer yet to be determined, Merritt said after the meeting.

"I have no idea what we will end up doing," he said. "You just have to start asking questions and picking out what you think is good, what you think is bad."

Crawford Central feasibility study

Total costs of construction, related charges and projected inflation all needed upgrades at district school buildings:

First District — $7.02 million

Second District — $7.24 million

Neason Hill — $13.9 million

West End — $1.55 million

Cochranton Elementary — $4.47 million

MASH-MAMS — $15.9 million

Cochranton Junior-Senior High — $11.28 million

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.