Peters Township school receives final touches in $5.6 million renovation
When students return to McMurray Elementary School on Sept. 6, the first day of classes in Peters Township School District, they will be greeted with the smell of fresh paint, bright lights and newly carpeted hallways.
For the past year or so, the 900 McMurray students have dealt with “swing space” as the school was undergoing a $5.6 million renovation. While work was being done in their classrooms, students were moved to temporary space inside the building for a five- to six-week stay. Now, the swing space will be a thing of the past.
“We were able to accomplish the renovations with minimal disruption,” said Blair Stoehr, the school’s principal, adding 87 percent of the project cost is eligible for reimbursement from the state.
The district, which usually starts the school year before Labor Day, pushed the opening back to ensure work at the school is completed. Hallways are being painted and carpet is still being put down as of late July.
“We are using carpet squares,” said Shelly Belcher, a district spokesperson. “This will make it easier to replace if necessary.”
Work done at the school includes new windows, gutters and downspouts, as well as electrical system upgrades. All classrooms were repainted using red, yellow and blue as background colors, New temperature control and lighting systems were installed as well.
Chalkboards were taken out and replaced with whiteboards. In addition, 70-inch Sharp Aquos interactive display systems were purchased for classrooms, said Belcher.
“Teachers will be able to capture what the students work on and store it,” she said.
Because the project will be completed on time and is coming in under budget, the district purchased new desks and chairs for students. The building’s stairwells were also painted because the project was on schedule.