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Bell Avenue Elementary and Penn Wood Middle schools will receive nearly $2.5 million in state grants for much-needed improvement projects, Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton and state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams announced Wednesday.
Bell Avenue Elementary’s 86-year-old building doesn’t offer accessibility for students or staff who face mobility challenges. The Yeadon school will receive $494,625 to contribute to the district’s plan to install an elevator to improve ADA compliance that will help students and staff reduce physical stress and injury if they face mobility challenges. It will also allow full access to all building spaces.
The second project, at Penn Wood Middle School in Darby, will include a major overhaul of the school’s 61,000-square-foot roof, which is leaking and deteriorating in some areas.
The $2 million roof repair will eliminate water damage seen in classrooms at the 59-year-old building while improving air quality by reducing the risk of airborne pathogens.
“Our school buildings are aging and need critical maintenance and updates to keep them operational, accessible, and safe for the whole school community — kids, teachers and visitors,” McClinton said in a news release.