By Rick Dandes
MANDATA — Line Mountain school board members might have to raise taxes to cover the cost of needed renovations at the Dalmatia and Leck Kill elementary schools.
Last June, the board voted to use state funds to make the infrastructure improvements at the two schools. But recently released state reimbursement projections have turned out to be less than expected.
School director Dennis Erdman said the projected reimbursement for Leck Kill was 8.5 percent of the total $1.8 million cost to renovate, or $180,298.
The projected reimbursement for Dalmatia is $841,926, about 22 percent of the projected $3.8 million renovation cost. The renovations at Dalmatia potentially include the price of replacing electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Superintendent David Campbell told the board that a tax increase, along with the state’s reimbursement funds, would cover the project costs.
Erdman noted that the district’s $17 million building projects at the junior-senior high school and the Trevorton Elementary School have yet to be completed. He wondered how taxpayers would react to another tax increase, considering the area’s high unemployment rate and a struggling economy.
Renovation plans will be scrutinized and voted on at the Nov. 17 board meeting.
