Major renovation project at Elizabeth Forward High School expected to start in September
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — It's been nearly a year and a half since a large auditorium fire at Elizabeth Forward High School devastated students, staff and the community.
Now, a new chapter is right around the corner.
School district leaders and board members have a start date for major renovations. They said they're taking a bad situation and turning it into something great for the community.
"We lost our entire auditorium. It had to be actually demolished, just as a precaution. Our entire building was filled with smoke and soot. So, we had a lot of remediation to do so. It was really devastating," said Keith Konyk, superintendent of the Elizabeth Forward School District.
The school board recently approved five construction contracts to add an auditorium with band and choral rooms, a gym with locker rooms, a new main entrance and lobby, mechanical rooms, and an HVAC system. The school will also be upgraded to meet current building codes, including fire sprinklers.
"We've developed a strategic plan to set the district and put the district in the community in a better place. So, there's a whole lot going to be going on. The entire site will be affected and changed and improved for generations to come," said Thomas Sharkey, school board president at the Elizabeth Forward School District.
Konyk said the district's students have been through so much, and they felt a heavy burden to give them something to be proud of.
"We have a musical program that's really one of the top in the region, won plenty of Gene Kelly Awards. We're going to give them an auditorium that's really consistent with what they're capable of doing. Our sports teams, our academic opportunities for kids, we're just going to give them the facilities that they deserve," he said.
The nearly $53-million construction project will start on Sept. 1. District leaders expect it to take two years. They have set aside another $14.5 million for other costs.
Sharkey said these major renovations are just phase one of two phases.
Phase two includes a proposed consolidation plan, which would add seventh and eighth grades to the high school, keep the middle school and Central Elementary open, and then close three other elementary schools.
"That would give us three buildings on two sites. Really give us operational efficiencies first of all, which I understand are important. And also, financial efficiencies. But most important to me, because I'm a teacher at heart, there are so many educational benefits of having all of our students in each grade located on one site," Konyk said.
The district expects a significant portion of the construction to be paid for by insurance. The district also applied for state grants and has built up a significant fund balance over the years for future challenges.
The superintendent said the fire marshal didn't determine a cause for the fire but ruled out electrical issues.