Decades since the last major remodeling of its facilities, Greensburg Salem this week voted to draft a contract with an energy savings company to help the district identify and prioritize a series of building projects.
The school board unanimously approved a partnership with TEN, The Efficiency Network. The company will run an audit of Greensburg Salem’s five school buildings and athletic complex, identifying areas where facility upgrades could save the district money, said Superintendent Ken Bissell.
The vote comes days after Siemens proposed $21.5 million in improvements to climate control systems, lighting and other equipment at Greater Latrobe’s senior and junior high schools. The improvements could save the district about $8.2 million in energy and operational expenses over 20 years, according to Siemens.
Greensburg Salem has made minor facility improvements in recent years, Bissell said, including upgrading schools’ boilers and chillers and replacing the windows at Greensburg Salem Middle School.
Facility projects have been more prevalent over the past two years, said school board President Jeff Metrosky — including construction of a new outdoor basketball court at the middle school and a fence replacement at Offutt Field.
“I think (we’ve made) more initiatives in the past few years than I can remember ever being on the board,” said Metrosky, who is serving his third term on the school board.
But with more than 30 years separating the district from its last major facilities remodel, greater steps need to be taken, he said.
“We need to do more,” Metrosky said, “and we need to take on more critical initiatives.”
More than 3 decades since last remodel
Greensburg Salem High School was remodeled in 1992, Bissell said — the same year Hutchinson Elementary was built. Built in the early 1900s, the middle school was last remodeled in 1979.
Nicely and Metzgar elementary schools were built in 1968 and have not been remodeled since then, Bissell said.
“For us to develop plans of where to start and where to go, we really need an (energy savings company) to come in and help us with their expertise,” he said. “It’s going to be a long-term process of us looking over a span of 10 — even 20 — years so that we can start to build plans of what we’re going to do, but also how we’re going to do that financially.”
The district has worked on building projects with architect Civil & Environmental Consultants, which proposed an estimated cost of $91.2 million for a 10-year wish list of potential building projects.
The architect is overseeing the district’s HVAC improvements at Metzgar, Nicely and the high school.
The project is on schedule, Bissell said, and workers should be out of student and staff spaces this week. Air conditioning units should be operational by September, he said.
The district may also take advantage of state dollars up for grabs to support solar power in schools, Bissell said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a “Solar for Schools” bill in July, creating a $25 million grant program that will help districts across the state buy and install solar panels.
“It’s an area of interest for us as to how we might be able to reduce overall operating costs and maybe shift over a little to more sustainable solar energy,” Bissell said.
TEN is estimated to complete the audit by October or early November, Bissell said. Any costs to the district have yet to be negotiated.
“It’s exciting. It’s a piece that I want the community to be aware of — that this is a good thing that we’re going to start to focus time and attention on upgrading our facilities,” he said. “And finding ways that we can do it … that will save energy costs and make energy more sustainable.”
Quincey Reese is a TribLive reporter covering the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She also does reporting for the Penn-Trafford Star. A Penn Township native, she joined the Trib in 2023 after working as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the company for two summers. She can be reached at qreese@triblive.com.
