Elementary schools to be appraised

A day after a public hearing to discuss possibly closing three schools, the Williamsport Area School Board unanimously approved the decision to receive appraisals of the buildings.

On Tuesday, the board decided to pay Reeser Appraisals LLC $5,800 for finding the market value of Round Hills, Sheridan and Stevens elementary schools.

Board member David Stone Jr. asked if it was the appropriate time to receive appraisals, as the district won't be looking to sell any of the buildings for at least a year. The decision on any school closures would not take effect until the 2013-14 school year.

Some board members said the information provided by the appraisal would allow them to better make an informed decision on which schools to close and a year would not make that big of a difference in value.

"I'd rather have the information sooner rather than later," said Brette Confair, board member.

School director Dale Vollman agreed with Confair and said the board would like to have all of the information before making a decision.

The board also decided to table a vote that would have approved the installation of carpet tiles in both Round Hills and Stevens elementary schools.

Board member Jane Penman said a decision should be made on what schools will be closed before they decide to make improvements to the buildings. Director Karen Harris agreed, saying she'd rather not put any more money into the buildings before a decision is made on closures.

Jeffrey Richards, business manager, said the installation was suggested because of safety issues. He said the new carpet tiles would be glued to the floor and would be able to be reused in another district building if a school was closed.

Vollman said although it would be able to be reused, part of the cost is installation, something the district couldn't recoup if it removed the tiles and put them in another building.

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Elementary schools to be appraised