ORWIGSBURG - The Blue Mountain school board unanimously voted Thursday to spend $767,500 for roof and masonry repairs at Blue Mountain Elementary West.
The roof at the Friedensburg school has been leaking, according to school officials, and over the years some repairs have needed to be done.
There are two roofs on the building - the first was installed in the 1960s and the second in the late 1980s.
Weatherproofing Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Tremco Inc., Hershey, will do the work. That work could start the day after school ends and finish shortly before it begins, Jeffrey Faust, director of facilities for the school district, said after the meeting.
Mary Jo Moss, school board president, said after the meeting that the expense is needed.
"Maintaining our buildings is an ongoing, large expense," she said, adding that the district is doing a long-term study to plan for such expenses in the future.
"We knew that it was aging. We cannot put it off any longer," Moss said.
No members from the public spoke against the expenditure during Thursday's meeting.
The district had three options to repair the roof as discussed at its Feb. 21 work session meeting.
The first option was for $783,100 for a buildup roof, the second for a buildup roof and single ply roof costing $736,500, and a single ply roof costing $722,300, Randy Kline, the senior field adviser for Tremco, said previously.
Additional masonry work for roof repairs added a cost of $31,000 to each option.
A buildup roof consists of multiple layers of fiberglass material while a single-ply roof is one made of a tripolymer alloy material.
In response to a question from another board member about the recommendation for Option 2, board member David Lafko said the facilities committee had to weigh the potential benefit of the first option versus the cost involved.
Faust said the lifetime of the new roof will be more than 20 years.
Exact funding for the project has not been decided yet, said business administrator Michelle Diekow. Money for the project could come from funds from a savings bond refinanced previously or other accounts.
Board member John Granito said selecting Option 2 was the right decision.
"I think it was the right thing to go with Option 2 because it is a considerable savings to the district," he said.