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$4.4 million athletic improvements being considered at Lewisburg Area

Justin Strawser, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·4 min read

Jan. 12—LEWISBURG — The Lewisburg Area School Board may spend an estimated $4.4 million to install turf at its Pawling Athletic Complex field, resurface its track, and construct tennis courts at the high school.

At Thursday night's public meeting, representatives of Keystone Sports Construction, of Phoenixville, presented a $2,490,025 proposal for the Pawling Complex Turf Field and Track Resurfacing Project and a $1,556,014 proposal for its high school Turf Field Parking Lot, Road Construction, and Tennis Courts Project, which includes $431,774 alternative for a lighting package. The two projects, estimated at a combined $4,477,814, weren't voted on at the public meeting.

Superintendent Cathy Moser said the district has "a number of facility needs across the district," including repairs, replacements, upgrades, safety and school security, and athletics improvements, said Moser.

"We are busy, and we will be busy, and the next months are critical to keep us moving along in our consideration," said Moser. "We have steps to take, everything from assessing our wishes, wants and needs to engineering and design services to bringing real numbers for consideration, ever mindful of the financial impact of the projects we select to go forward with. And certainly sharing the information with our staff, our community and keeping everyone apprised with these projects."

Pawling Complex is located on North Fairground Road near the middle school. For this, the district is considering a synthetic turf athletic field, a six-lane running track, field events, associated drainage, grading and site improvements installed at its recreational sports facility.

The $1.5 million proposal includes six tennis courts, walkways, an additional parking lot, associated drainage, grading and site improvements installed at the high school property. This proposal has a $431,774 alternative for a lighting package.

Geoffrey Sellers, the Director of Sales PA for Keystone, said Keystone's objective on Thursday was to educate the school board members and bring them to a comfort level with their information.

Sellers said the turf fields are "meant to be played on" and the district should get 12 to 13 years with it. He said there are processes to maintain the field with Keystone staff either doing the work or teaching the district to do the work.

Since 2019, Moser said the district has spent $12,864,616 on facilities projects, including floor replacement in the kitchen of Kelly Elementary, baseball field site work, Fob access system, backup generator replacement at the middle school and Kelley Elementary, needlepoint bipolar ionization system for COVID-19, maintenance truck replacement, boiler replacement at Kelly, HVAC modernization, and interior painting and repairs at Linntown and Kelly Elementary. The HVAC modernization alone cost the district $9.9 million in 2022.

Funding sources come from capital projects fund, Green Dragon Foundation, grants and sponsors, said Moser.

Union issues

In unrelated business, AFSCME union representative Adam Maguire during the public comment portion of Thursday's public meeting criticized the board members for "launching an anti-union campaign" and allegedly demoting food service worker Amanda Foerster in alleged retaliation for demanding a living wage and filing a harassment complaint. Maguire, who read a letter from Foerster that was published in a local newspaper, asked the board to reinstate Foerster's wages.

Vice Chair Cory Heath said the board has no response to the statements made by Maguire.

"We're just going to ignore it?" said Maguire. "You want me to keep coming back to these meetings?"

Maguire said the board members are consenting to the demotion due to their inaction to rectify it. He called the school board members "cowards" and accused them of dividing the union and non-union workers.

"I'm going to hold the board and I'm going to hold the people who are paid $110,000 a year and $170,000 a year, I'm going to hold them accountable," said Maguire.

Maguire abruptly left the meeting, using a derogatory word to describe how the interaction between him and the district is a "disgrace."

In other business, the board approved:

* An agreement with School Specialty for the procurement of eight additional Halo vape detection sensors at the high school for a total cost of $9,925. Last year, the district approved the procurement and installation of Halo vape detection systems in the high school and middle school for a total cost of $66,665.

* A proposal from Gordian Group/I.B. Abel for the replacement of the Kelly Wheelchair Lift at a total cost of $28,584.

* An HVAC Change Order for the Dragon's Den for Louvers and Dampers for $3,326 for ventilation in the restroom. The board will also consider at the next meeting a $7,679 change order for the project to connect utilities (water and sewer) from the 5-foot limit of the building out to where the piping is stubbed out in the vicinity of the site.