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NHSD awarded $1.5M for life safety, HVAC improvements at North Hills High School

North Hills High School
Heather Pelat

The North Hills School District is pleased to announce it will receive $1.5 million in state funding to improve critical life safety and HVAC systems and equipment at North Hills High School.

The money, from the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program, will be used to replace or update vital life safety system components in the school including smoke detectors, pull stations and notification applications. Current building code requires a voice alarm system in schools, something the high school does not currently have. 

The remaining funds will be used to replace aging HVAC units on the roof that have obsolete parts and are beyond repair. New units will ensure the district is able to distribute fresh air, control contaminants and pollutants, and maintain temperature and air quality throughout the building.

State Rep. Emily Kinkead, who represents Pennsylvania’s 20th District which includes the North Hills School District, announced the funding last week and was instrumental in North Hills’ receiving its portion of the grant.

"We are very grateful for Rep. Kinkead’s support and work to ensure we received this funding," said Superintendent Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino. "These projects directly impact the wellbeing of our students and staff and are critical to safety and emergency management."

He added, "We needed to move forward with these projects, and are elated now to know that most of the funds have been secured so that we can do so."

Dr. Mannarino and NHSD Director of Finance and Operations Jerry Muth worked alongside SitelogIQ, the firm overseeing the ongoing renovation of West View Elementary School, to identify the projects. The cost of the work was estimated at just over $2 million. NHSD will fund the remainder of the project, which includes the construction, purchase and installation of equipment and engineering costs.

School board president Allison Mathis added, "We are very appreciative of everyone’s time and work to bring this crucial funding to the district and look forward to accepting the grant at an upcoming school board meeting."

The Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program was created to provide grants to public school districts and area career and technical schools for eligible facility improvement projects. The program is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development under the direction of the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Grants are available for eligible improvement projects with a total project cost of $500,000 or more and grants shall not exceed $5 million for any project.