Penn Cambria school continue with upgrades as academic year looming

CRESSON, Pa. (WTAJ) — The summer months have waned away, meaning students are preparing to head back to the classroom.

As they return, some may be greeted with roped-off areas and vehicles unusual to the average school parking lot. Penn Cambria School District faces the reality of construction continuing into the school year.

“One is a new boiler room that will be put into place at our high school,” Jaime Hartline, superintendent of Penn Cambria, said. “And then we have a roofing project as well that is going on.”

The project started back in 2023 with a feasibility study from a construction management firm that identified the areas of need. A year later, the school board approved a $10 million bond that funded the projects, with construction following at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

The boiler room would get rid of the coal boilers and replace them with gas-powered boilers to help heat up the school. The roof replacement portion is a continuation of an older project to replace the rubber roofing in areas that were not previously upgraded.

An emergency upgrade happened inside the building of the high school. Several floors of classrooms and the main hallway have new vinyl tiles and vinyl planks.

“We had an emergency situation that happened on Thanksgiving 2023, where we had a water main break where some of our carpeting got wet and needed to be replaced,” Hartline said.

Next week, students are going to walk through the doors to start classes next week. With construction bleeding into the school year, the district feels that it will not cause a distraction.

“I’m sure they’ll hear from time to time a noticeable sound or two,” Hartline said. “But as far as a distraction to the students, the distractions will be minimal.”

With the upgrades continuing, parts of the building will be roped off for students and faculty to access. For example, part of the auditorium will be blocked off in part with the boiler room upgrades.

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However, the upgrades are on schedule. Both projects look to be done in perfect timing, with one just before the bell rings.

“The boiler, of course, is scheduled to be complete before the heating season, so we can make sure that we can heat our buildings effectively,” Hartline said. “So we’re looking at somewhere in October in that area. And then the roofing project is scheduled to be completed by the end of next week.”

Penn Cambria opens its doors to students on Aug. 22.

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