AEM Architects presented a feasibility study to the Tamaqua Area School Board at Tuesday night’s committee workshop meeting.

Leaders of the company put forth a lengthy, detailed presentation on what they deemed to be necessary renovations or improvements for all district buildings and athletic facilities.

AEM’s proposed total project budget, which included massive renovations of each district building, tallied over $77 million. The proposal included multiple phases of construction that would last roughly a decade until every bit is completed.

The idea of a feasibility study was sprung by the Tamaqua Safety Commission, which suggested a comprehensive evaluation of all district building entryways to help protect students and staff.

The board received much more than entryway information in the study.

“The initial impetus for this was the security,” said school board President Larry Wittig. “From my perspective, I can’t speak for anyone else, I’m looking for what it costs to get a comprehensive entry system in all of the buildings - and a meaningful one. It has to be something that is restrictive enough. … I’m still big on alarming the doors, which may or may not have been part of their study. We have a lot of homework to do.”

While improving the security of each building’s entryway was a big reason to move forward with the study, AEM’s team made an extensive, thorough evaluation of essentially every square inch of the Tamaqua Area School District. The board now has tangible, well-researched information in regard to the status and well-being of its properties.

The feasibility study focused on the architectural status of each building, HVAC and mechanical issues, plumbing and fire protection and each building’s electrical configuration.

According to the firm’s findings, there were some obvious recurring issues at each building. For example, some of the wiring and electrical work throughout the district has not been updated since its original construction.

Additionally, each building must be updated to be ADA compliant, and fixing windows and water issues were listed as problem areas more than once. Another reasonably big decision on the horizon will be what to do with the district’s administration building, which was constructed in 1930 and needs a ton of work. Two suggestions by AEM were to move it to another building or sell it.

However, there were also many suggestions by AEM which might not be current priorities for the district in the near future. The proposed renovations to the high school building alone tallied north of $18 million.

The $77 million cost of the project is unrealistic, as it was implied that there were unnecessary renovation suggestions included in the proposal. There will likely be upcoming negotiations between the school board and AEM in the near future, as the board aims to determine which improvements and renovations are priorities.

“I think there are some things in there, like again, we don’t have an immediate need for a new gymnasium,” said Superintendent Ray Kinder. “Nor do we have a need for a turf field immediately. However, we’re often asked, well what would one cost? We hear these numbers that aren’t always realistic, so I think it’s beneficial for us to have all of this information.”

Wittig’s primary concerns remain the same.

“Any kind of safety and health issues are nonnegotiable top priorities from my perspective,” he said.