Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Eagle Academy Relocation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Acarbata board weighs five options to relocate Eagle Academy, leans toward on-campus building
Summary
At its September meeting the Acarbata Township Board of Education reviewed five options to relocate Eagle Academy — a Fernwood renovation, commercial retrofit, night program, outsourcing, or a standalone building near the high school — and signaled support for an on-campus standalone option pending cost updates and site tours.
The Acarbata Township Board of Education on Tuesday discussed five possible ways to relocate Eagle Academy, an alternative instructional program for students needing smaller, more supportive settings, and indicated early support for building a standalone facility on district land near the high school.
Mr. Smith, who led the presentation, outlined the five options: renovate space at Fernwood (estimated at approximately $3,000,000 with about $1,300,000 in state aid, leaving a net district cost near $1,700,000); purchase and retrofit commercial space (funded 100% locally); run a PM/night program at the high school; outsource the program to an external provider; or construct a new 6,000-square-foot standalone building on Field 5 at the high school (estimated $2.25–3.0 million and roughly a 15-month lead time).
"Approximately $3,000,000 to renovate the space," Mr. Smith said when summarizing the Fernwood option, and he told the board the standalone Field 5 structure would be roughly $2.25 to $3 million and could open about 15 months after final approvals. He also said the district currently averages "about 45" students in Eagle Academy and that a Fernwood renovation could accommodate up to about 50 students.
Board members focused on tradeoffs between cost, state aid and program logistics. Several members said outsourcing and off‑site commercial locations were undesirable. "I prefer to keep it 100% in our district," Mr. Price said, and Missus Gilbert Floyd and others voiced support for a solution on the high school campus to preserve program identity and access to after‑hours offerings.
The board discussed funding paths: including a project in a facilities referendum to capture more state aid for renovations, using capital reserve or the general fund for a locally funded build, and the potential for the township to take ownership of the old Eagle building once the program relocates. Mr. Smith cautioned that new construction generally receives less state aid than renovations but allows the district to design optimal instructional space.
No formal motion or vote was taken on a selected option. Mr. Smith asked for feedback and said staff will refine cost estimates, set up tours of candidate sites (including Field 5 and Fernwood), and return with a more detailed recommendation at the October board meeting.
What happens next: staff will arrange site tours, deliver tighter cost and funding scenarios and present updated recommendations at the next regular meeting.
