Gettysburg Area School Board discusses building projects, annual audit

Gettysburg Area School District’s Board of Directors covered a broad agenda on Tuesday that included Adams County Technical Institute, the annual audit, proposed upgrades to the District Administration Building, and a team room for Warrior Stadium.

ACTI

ACTI Executive Director Shawn Eckenrode told the board that the school continues to work towards expansion so it can accommodate the 25-30% of applicants it currently rejects due to lack of space. 

ACTI serves Gettysburg, Littlestown, Bermudian Springs, Fairfield, and Conewago Valley school districts. Gettysburg is expected to be responsible for 35% of the estimated $56 to $63 million project costs. In response to a question from Board Member Tim Seigman, Business Manager Belinda Wallen said Gettysburg’s share is the highest because it is the wealthiest district, even though Conewago Valley has the most students.

Eckenrode said ACTI will lose a $500,000 grant from the County of Adams if it does not identify a site by December 2026. Eckenrode also said he is retiring in June, and the ACTI Joint Operating Committee received nine applications for his position.

Audit

Tina Gipe, manager at Boyer & Ritter, said the district’s recent financial audit produced clean results. 

The district’s fund balance ended with a $26 million assigned fund balance and $4.7 million unassigned fund balance. Two minor internal control deficiencies were noted: a significant deficiency in closing adjustments and a compliance finding for a delayed federal data collection form filing.

Board Member Kathleen Pratt asked Gipe if the board could receive audit information prior to the meeting so they could review and ask questions.

Administration Building

The board voted 7-2 to advance a renovation project for the District Administration Building on Biglerville Road. Dave Sites and Justine Sieg voted against the proposal.

The proposal centers on upgrading the administration building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, relocating the IT room from the basement to the current boardroom, and adding a 2,600-square-foot single-story addition to serve as the District Board Room. That scope is estimated to cost $6.5 million. 

For an additional $1 million, the board could add a second floor to the boardroom to meet future needs.

Tuesday’s vote only authorized administrators to seek bids. Once proposals are received, the district Finance and Facilities Committee will review them prior to a board vote.

Sites expressed concerns about estimating project costs before bids are received. Sieg questioned what will become of the ACTI building on Old Harrisburg Road when the school relocates.

Team Room

The board will vote at a future meeting whether to abandon a plan from the previous board to add a viewing deck and pathway to the new team room the district is building at Warrior Stadium.

The board approved the project in October despite the administrators’ recommendation against it. Superintendent Jeffrey Matzner cited safety concerns.

Sieg said Tuesday she also believed the viewing platform was a “major safety concern.” Seigman said the viewing platform is needed so community members can see football games when stadium seating is full. 

Pratt voted against the proposal in October but said she believes the current board is setting a bad precedent by revisiting decisions that have already been approved.