McKeesport district to redesign high‑school vestibule, replace auditorium lights and finish Founders Hall repairs

The McKeesport Area School District reported on Dec. 12 that several facility projects are moving forward, including design work for a high‑school security vestibule, an auditorium LED lighting replacement with finalized costs “a little bit over $300,000,” and the completion of a Founders Hall moisture remediation project by the end of the year.

During the building and grounds committee report, district staff said core architects are on the meeting agenda to begin design and implementation of a redesigned front vestibule at the high school, intended to improve security and aesthetics. The report said the Founders Hall moisture remediation and the Founders Hall wrestling room remediation are scheduled for completion over the holiday break. Francis McClure’s door access-control system is scheduled for installation during the break, and an LED retrofit of exterior parking‑lot lights at Francis McClure is planned once replacement parts arrive.

Committee members said auditorium lighting replacement is a capital project the board has discussed for months; staff reported finalized costs a little over $300,000 and said funding would come from the capital projects fund. Finance committee members reported the capital projects fund had about $632,000 remaining at the time of the meeting.

Board members also questioned whether the cost of architectural services for the high‑school vestibule would be covered by grants. A brief exchange between a board member and a district facilities staffer resulted in the clarification that the architectural hard costs for that project were not covered by the grants discussed; the meeting transcript records an initial statement that $620,000 in grants had been secured for related work and then a subsequent clarification that the architectural hard cost is not covered by those grants.

The meeting also noted support from community partners: the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and vendor Ethos are involved in a partnership to design work at Francis McClure and have assisted with donation and coordination of weight‑room equipment for the district’s new facility. The partnership committee said design work for Francis McClure will start after the holiday break and that items donated by Ethos were installed and revealed to the football team.

No formal vote on the individual construction contracts was taken during the facility report; several facility items were later approved as part of a consent block during the meeting.