Annville-Cleona school board requests $1.86 million grant for leaky school roof

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During its Feb. 9 meeting, the Annville-Cleona school board approved a resolution to request a Public-School Facility Improvement Grant of $1,856,605 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

The funds, according to the agenda, would be used to replace Annville-Cleona Secondary School’s “deteriorating and leak-afflicted roof.” This will include a new roofing system, gutters, downspouts, and approximately 88,280 square feet of shingles on the peaked roof.

Superintendent Krista Antonis said the roof is in fair condition, and the shingles are roughly 20 years old, but they’ve had to replace several sections due to damage sustained from heavy windstorms.

The district committed to pay $618,868 — the 25% required by the program — if the funding is received.

“We anticipate grant notification around October,” Antonis said. “Typical DCED timelines are three years from receipt of the grant to complete the project.”

She said the district’s request fits the grant’s application requirements “very well.”

In other business, the school board:

• Welcomed Mark Frattarole, the most recent board president, back onto the board after he was asked to fill Robert Evans’s vacated seat. Frattarole was sworn in on Friday, Feb. 6.
• Appointed the firm Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams as the special education solicitor for the district for the upcoming school year. For routine matters, attorneys will bill at $210 per hour and legal assistants at $160 per hour. Non-routine matters will have attorneys bill at $230 per hour and legal assistants at $160 per hour.
• Approved an agreement with Grammarly Inc. that will last from March 15, 2026, until March 14, 2027, for $1,440.
• Approved all personnel items listed in the agenda.
• Approved the district calendar and secondary school curriculum guide.
• Voted on a resolution commemorating the 250-year anniversary of the United States on July 4.

The Annville-Cleona school board will meet next in the district office board room on March 2 at 6 p.m. for a work session meeting. The next regular board meeting will be on March 9 at 6 p.m.