Highlands School Board green

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It was a sink or swim moment for aquatic enthusiasts in the Highlands School District on Monday when a packed house turned up to lobby the school board for $1.8 million in repairs to the long-closed high school pool.

More than 50 people, including the high school swim team and youth swimmers from the Allegheny Valley YMCA, were on hand with impassioned pleas to save the pool.

"I cannot stress enough the importance of having a functional pool at the high school," said Patrick Bundy, board president at Sylvan Park community pool. "As a district, we should provide aquatic safety."

Nearly two hours of speeches appeared to sway the board, which voted 8-1 to approve $25 million in districtwide renovations that include reconstruction of the 165,000-gallon pool.

Other projects include operational and safety features, such as lighting, boilers, roof replacement, air conditioning, parking and sidewalk pavement. Work will target each of the district's schools.

The contract went to ABM, a national group that operates under the state's Guaranteed Energy Savings Act to provide fixed costs.

Board member Kelli Canonge voted no, saying she didn't feel comfortable moving forward without seeing 2023-24 school year budget numbers.

"That's a lot of money," Canonge said. "My primary concern is what this will do to taxes."

Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said it's unclear how the move will impact taxpayers, as the board is still working through next school year's budget.

She said there's about $2 million in federal grant money to help offset the cost.

The federal American Rescue Plan Act provided $122.7 billion in supplemental funding to districts across the country following the covid-19 pandemic.

ABM Regional Account Manager Mike Hess said work could begin as soon as students empty the building for summer, about the second week of June.

"Our focus is to do as much work as possible in the summer, especially with things that aren't dependent on the supply chain," he said. "We can get right to the lighting and paving."

Board member Judy Wisner said there was no point in delaying a vote on the renovations.

"I can't see us putting off a pool that we’ve been looking at closed for two years," Wisner said.

The district closed the pool in 2021 after it was leaking about 300 gallons of water an hour, or about 7,200 gallons a day.

That move sent the high school swim team to Burrell and Valley school districts for daily practices, with the swimmers having to find their own transportation.

It caused inconvenience and put a time constraint on training. Senior Luke Vunora said it also created an unnecessary hazard.

"I got into an accident driving home from practice," Vunora said.

Nathan Petrak, a coach at the YMCA and at Sylvan Park, said a lack of a home pool drained enthusiasm for the swim program. There were 24 students who hoped to join the team prior to the 2022-23 season, he said.

"When they found out they had to get themselves over to Burrell, the number dropped to 10," he said.

Petrak's son, Brody, is a swimmer for the YMCA Gators.

The 12-year-old spoke at the meeting and told the board that saving the pool is not just about the swim team.

"It's to help the community," Brody said.

Other audience members agreed, saying lost programs have impacted residents who don't have the means to pay for pool memberships.

District gym teacher Kathy Black has run swim and safety programs for more than a decade, training more than 300 lifeguards.

"We have a responsibility to teach water safety," she said.

Petrak said Highlands has a rich history in swimming and boasts one of the nicest facilities in the WPIAL.

"We have 30 young swimmers at the Y who are enthusiastic about the sport," he said. "They want to have a facility to call their own when they get to the high school."

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

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