Norwin stadium renovations could top $25 million

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NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. — Twenty-five million dollars. It’s a price tag many in the Irwin and North Huntingdon areas aren’t thrilled about.

“I think that’s a lot of money for the area,” said Jeannie Pstir, of Irwin. “With the taxpayers being older, I just think that’s a lot of money, even though we love the sports.”

On Monday night, Draw Collective, an Architecture firm from Mount Lebanon told the Norwin School Board it would cost more than $25 million to tear out and replace the Norwin Stadium home grandstand, build a larger press box, and replace the turf.

Some board members spoke out against it.

“I want to see something less fancy,” said board member Shawna Ilagan. “This looks like a college campus. This looks like a for-profit school, not public education.”

The school has been looking to replace the grandstand because it’s the original, nearly 60 years old.

Crumbling brick and cement, peeling paint, and rust can be seen in many areas of the grandstand.

“They have to do some modernizations to it like we do to our homes, but it doesn’t have to be the whole stadium torn down,” said Diane Kowalski, of Irwin.

The district declined an interview Tuesday saying, “It would be premature to speak about the potential project prior to next week’s vote.”

Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek last spoke with the school board president about this project in April. He said then it might only cost $3 million to do some patch and repair work.

>>> Norwin School District looking to make major renovations to stadium

“It’s currently not a safety issue, but if we do not address it soon, it would become a safety issue,” said Matt Thomas, Norwin School Board President. “We’re concerned if we go the patch and repair route, we’re simply kicking the can down the road.”

The school is also looking to renovate its high school auditorium by resurfacing the stage and putting in a new ceiling and movable walls. That is estimated to cost nearly $8 million.

It has many taxpayers worried their bills will be going up.

“I’m worried they will go up significantly, and we wouldn’t have a say in it,” Pstir said.

The school board is expected to vote on the projects next Monday.

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