Locker rooms at Biglerville High School that have not seen substantial upgrades since the 1970s could be getting a multi-million-dollar renovation.
Upper Adams School Board on Tuesday discussed a potential $2.86 million revamp of boys’ and girls’ locker and team rooms.
Oversized locker and team rooms used by middle and high school students need a more functional layout and upgrades to plumbing and fixtures, according to Superintendent Wesley Doll and board Vice President Tom Wilson. A renovation would also allow for an addition of two classrooms and more storage.
“We can do the project without incurring further debt is the bottom line,” Wilson said at the Tuesday meeting.
Wilson, who ran the meeting in the absence of President Jim Lady, said the district has the funds to complete the project at its preliminary estimated cost. The actual cost of the project would not be known until it is put out to bid.
Funds remaining from the 2019 expansion of the former Arendtsville Elementary School, now Upper Adams Intermediate School, could be used for the locker room renovation, according to Upper Adams business administrator Shelley Hobbs. The Arendtsville project money must be used for renovations, she said.
“The district recognized at the time of the Arendtsville project that borrowing nearly the exact amount for the project incurred unnecessary risk if unforeseen problems arose,” Doll and Wilson wrote in a joint statement emailed Wednesday to Gettysburg Connection. “Additionally, the district knew that additional capital projects were in the near future and with interest rates at historic lows it made good business sense to borrow the amounts we did, saving the taxpayers money in the long run.”
At the meeting Tuesday, board members discussed when would be the best time to vote whether to put the locker room project out to bid. Members agreed to hold a vote at their next meeting, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Additional votes will need to take place before construction could begin. Wilson said the timeline for a potential build is to be determined.
Parent speaks against high school club
During the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting, a parent spoke against a club at Biglerville High School.
Helen Jahn urged the board to disband the Genders & Sexualities Alliances club at Biglerville High School. Jahn — who said she has never attended a meeting of the club — alleged the club’s name suggests “sexual matters” are being talked about at the club, supposedly in violation of school policy regarding personal boundaries between adults and students.
The board did not respond to Jahn’s comments in the meeting.
After the meeting, Doll said the district would look into Jahn’s concern, but he did not know as of Tuesday night whether the club had violated school policy. While adults oversee clubs, Doll said they “don’t try to guide the way students are thinking.” Clubs are meant to be places where students can gather and feel comfortable, Doll said.
In other business:
- Outstanding food service balances have increased by almost $4,000, more than 25%, between Sept. 30 and Dec. 31, 2022, according to Hobbs. Food services debt stands at about $19,100 across the district. Applications for free and reduced meals can be found at https://www.upperadams.org/Page/3866.
- Kindergarten Round-Up will take place at Biglerville Elementary on Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. Children who will turn 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2023 are invited to attend with their families to meet kindergarten teachers and current kindergarten students.
- Student Gabby Pirich presented framed photo collages of Upper Adams School District buildings and landmarks to the board members as part of School Board Appreciation Month.
Mary Grace Kauffman, freelance reporter, worked six years as a full-time reporter for newspapers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She has covered topics including business, crime, education, government and features. Mary Grace has a bachelor's degree in communication/journalism from Shippensburg University. She resides in Adams County.
How wonderful that Mary Grace Kauffman has joined the Connection! One by one all my favorite local writers are showing up here: Joyce Shutt, John Messeder and now Mary Grace. By the way, MG, they told me “Change you name and not your letter – marry for worse and not for better.”. It’s been almost 59 years. I’m still waiting for the worse part. (My maiden name was Weikert.)