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“It was through the hard work of everyone that’s been involved from the board level down through administration and down to our community members, that we’re actually able to be here this afternoon,” she said. The current Pivik building first came under scrutiny in 2008, after a district-wide structural feasibility study identified the then 70-year old building as being in need of renovation or replacement. The building was slated for replacement because of the high cost associated with bringing such an old building up to code. L.R. Kimball architect Dana Steadman, who served as the new building’s project manager, said the new Pivik will have a highly energy efficient design, full handicap accessibility and an improved interior layout more conducive to young children. It will be the first Plum Elementary school with central air conditioning.

By Zak Koeske The Plum School Board voted to award the construction contract for the new Pivik Elementary school to Nello Construction of Canonsburg at its monthly meeting Tuesday night. The contract has a total price tag of just over $14 million, and includes the installation of a full air conditioning system priced at just over $380,000. While the $14 million cost runs cheaper than earlier estimates, some residents still had reservations. Frank Pietryga expressed concern at the timing of the move, citing recent state budget cuts. He conceded that Pivik Elementary -- which was built in 1939 -- needed to be replaced, but took issue with the installation of air conditioning, a luxury not enjoyed by Plum’s other elementary schools. Mr. Pietryga argued that the move would introduce educational inequality and unnecessarily increase costs at a time when other districts were tightening their belts. Jeff Matthews, Facilities Committee chair, countered that the decision to install air conditioning was made because it cost two to three times less to do so now than after the fact. He said that air conditioning would eventually be installed at the other elementary schools, contingent on future state budget cuts. Groundbreaking for the new Pivik Elementary, which will be located across the street from the current building on School Road, commences Friday April 1 at 1 p.m. Mr. Matthews estimated that construction of the two-story, 75,000-square foot building will be complete by July 2012, in time for the 2012-2013 school year. At that point, the old Pivik building will be used to temporarily house students from Adlai Elementary while it is in turn renovated. Once Adlai’s renovation is finished, Holiday Park Elementary will be the next to receive an update. “That’s the least expensive way of constructing and renovating,” Mr. Matthews explained.  “Because workers can have full access to the building, as opposed to working around the students and their daily activities.” Mr. Matthews said that the multi-school renovation process should be complete by the summer of 2014. But given the latest news on the district’s budget deficit, that timeline may need to be extended. Finance Committee chair Andrew Drake reported that the district’s deficit -- which had shrunk to $800,000 following board-employed cost-saving measures -- was back up to $2.7 million after recent state education budget cuts. Mr. Drake said they weren’t counting on getting any money back from the state, and solicited residents for cost-saving solutions. “Come to the Finance Committee meeting,” he implored.  “The agenda is an open book. The budget is an open book. We’re looking for citizens to scrub through the budget with us.” Plum School District’s budget must be finalized by late May so that it can be voted on by the board in June. The Finance Committee will next meet to discuss the budget on Tuesday, April 5.