Board reviews plan to add welding and diesel shops at Lycoming Career and Technology Center; staff recommends bond recommendation not to exceed $5 million

Montoursville Area School Board members on Sept. 10 heard a multi‑district presentation on proposed phased improvements to the Lycoming Career and Technology Center (LCTC), including a new Phase 1 building under the home bleachers to house welding and diesel training programs.

Christopher Peters of Maran and Main Architects outlined the Phase 1 schematic, which includes a roughly 2,500‑square‑foot welding area with 20 booths, a roughly 3,700‑square‑foot diesel bay with four service bays, two classrooms and storage lofts. Peters presented a Phase 1 construction cost of about $4.3 million and a total Phase 1 project cost of about $4.9 million after designer fees, furniture, testing and a 5% contingency. He said construction documents would take about five months and that the team hoped to order bleachers and steel in mid‑2025 to begin construction after the football season so the new bleachers and training space would be ready for subsequent graduations and school use.

Craig Skaluba, who identified himself as superintendent of record for the consortium project, said the districts are pursuing multiple funding streams: a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) request for $5 million, a COVID‑19 multipurpose community facilities grant through the Pennsylvania Broadband Authority to cover design costs, Act 13 funds, and program‑specific sponsorships or donations. Skaluba outlined a financing structure in which the new borrowing would be divided equally among the six participating districts (one‑sixth each) and said the districts have also negotiated a facilities management approach for operations and utilities rather than a term lease.

On financing, staff presented a proposed bond repayment structure not to exceed $5 million plus interest over a 15‑year term and a facilities management agreement charging $4.49 per square foot to cover utilities, custodial and building maintenance. The team showed a projected utilities figure of about $1.21 per square foot and described a contingency split for repairs where a single incident above $5,000 would be shared among the consortium up to a threshold of $25,000.

Skaluba emphasized timing constraints tied to East Lycoming’s bleacher project and told the board the window to add welding and diesel shops was limited. He said staff would circulate the proposed bond agreement and contract language in September and asked the Montoursville board to be prepared to consider a motion in November after members have had time to review contract documents and any grant award notices.

Board members asked for additional district‑by‑district enrollment details and repeated concerns that equal cost sharing might be inequitable for smaller districts that send fewer students to the CTC. Skaluba said per‑district cost shares in the presentation were approximate and would be refined in the contract and financing materials; he also said any grant awards would change the net borrowing need (for example, $5 million in grants would reduce borrowing and allow more phases to proceed concurrently).

Next steps: staff will distribute the full presentation and contract materials to participating superintendents, the board will revisit the proposal at a September work session, and the board is expected to be asked to make a formal motion on the bond agreement in November after contract review and any grant announcements.

"The board motion that we were looking for is to recommend approval of a bond agreement with East Lycoming School District for the repayment of one‑sixth of the total cost of a bond in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000 plus interest over a 15‑year period for the improvement of facilities at Lycoming Career and Technology Center," Craig Skaluba said, summarizing the recommendation.

Cost, schedule and program details stated in this article reflect figures presented to the board at the Sept. 10 meeting and are subject to refinement in written contracts, grant awards, and formal board action.