Freeport Area School Board approves $55 million renovation plan for high school
A Butler County school district has voted to move forward with a major construction project.
On Wednesday night, the Freeport Area School Board voted to consult architects, engineers, and financial advisors for a $55 million renovation of the entire high school.
A board member told KDKA-TV that the school has been in need of a makeover for years, and it includes the auditorium, the windows, and even the sewage system.
"All of this, everything that needs to be done to make this school good for our students, is all wrapped into this $55 million project," the board member said.
Part of the board's decision on Wednesday night was approving a plan that would pay for the project over a five-year period, which would ease the burden on taxpayers.
Freeport Area School Board mulls multiple options
Prior to Wednesday night's vote, the school board was considering more than one option, and part of those was the ultimate decision, the $55 million renovation.
Had the board not approved the $55 million renovation, they also considered a $25.5 million hybrid project.
That would have included partial renovations, including a roof replacement.
People who KDKA-TV spoke with, though, said doing nothing should not be an option.
"I think like any homeowner, you have to keep up with it instead of letting it just get ahead of you," Charlotte Hajel of Buffalo Township said.
The vote on the project had been moved back a couple of times. The board was supposed to vote on it last in May.
