The Pleasant Valley School Board approved taking out a series of bonds totaling up to $110 million to cover the cost of improvements to the high school and other district buildings.

The Capital Improvements Financing resolution was passed at the board’s regular meeting Thursday night.

School board President Susan Kresge said, “I know we have it set at $110 million. That’s not to say we’re going to fully borrow $110 million.”

Director Norman Burger, chairman of the finance committee and a member of the Capital Improvement Plan committee, said, “One of the reasons we set a ceiling higher than we were anticipating is so we don’t have to pay additional fees to begin a second process to get financing.”

“It’s expensive doing these resolutions, putting all the paperwork together,” Michael Simonetta, the district’s business manager, said after the meeting. “We did a parameters resolution, which says we can borrow up to $110 million. Understand that every time we borrow, we still need board approval, and it will be presented publicly. This one-time resolution will cover us for what we hope will not be more than that expense.”

Currently, the improvements to the high school are in the design phase. The district has contracted with D’Huy Engineering in Bethlehem as the construction manager for the district improvements, and hired KCBA Architects in Center Valley in August to be the architect high school project.

The plan involves a reconfiguration of the classrooms, demolition of the old auditorium and redeveloping the space, as well as adding space to the cafeteria, weight room and team rooms, and creating a plaza behind the school where buses would drop off and pick up students.

Simonetta said they meet biweekly to discuss the project and talk about the ideas. Concepts for the final design will be presented late next summer or September of 2024.