A Grove City (Pa.) School Board ad-hoc committee came to a consensus this week that it will propose a pause on a project that would relocate the local high school's fitness center.
The committee was tasked with evaluating the school's current wrestling practice room and weight room, identifying any necessary information from those affected, and determining whether the board needs to act to address their needs.
According to Allied News, the school board was planning to switch two rooms as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation, moving the wrestling team to the smaller weight room and building a new fitness center in the wrestling room. The school district was in the process of holding a community fund drive to equip the new fitness center.
The committee arrived at the idea of pausing the project after surveying students, coaches and community members.
“My biggest takeaway of all this information we’ve gathered, both through the surveys and hearing from our community, is the level of interest and the level of input from the surveys, the level of collaboration from the community, different ideas being shared – that’s beautiful,” August Hurst, a member of the committee and the school board, told Allied News. “It’s how it’s supposed to happen. If we had done this type of work 12 months ago, we wouldn’t be here tonight wondering whether or not the right decision was made to move the wrestling room. I’ve got a great level of gratitude to see the community interested, coaches, boosters. Everyone wants to make a suggestion or recommendation. Everybody wants to work together and make an option that’s best for everybody. Our administration has made an apology, and I appreciate that.”
Committee member and school board president Ryan Thomas said there are other, more critical projects that need to be addressed in the meantime.
“I got a $3 million HVAC hit coming at the middle school that nobody talks about right now,” Thomas said. “We got a football field that’s in disrepair, not the field itself but the facilities down there. The other thing the board is unaware of is we got asphalt sealing and fixing and maintenance that needs done coming down the pike.”
The ad-hoc committee also discussed sharing information about the pause – if it is approved by the board – with their donors. The district has raised $150,000 for the fitness center project.
