Tamaqua Area School Board moved ahead with more than $400,000 in upgrades, repairs and improvements Tuesday.

Nearly half of the expenditures were grant funded.

One of the biggest expenses was the replacement of a domestic hot water heater at the high school, which was installed as part of the 2009 geothermal project.

The board approved the $140,000 replacement from COSTAR vendor, McClure Co., which is currently working on a district-wide energy project expected to save $2 million over 20 years.

The district also needs to replace a solar inverter at the Tamaqua Elementary School at a cost of $22,816. McClure will also do this work.

The board also approved $102,000 in repairs, warranty and maintenance agreements for roofs at the high school and West Penn Elementary from Weatherproofing Technologies Inc.

A Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant will fund $29,000 in door security equipment from Bytespeed, and $41,000 in door replacement and repairs from Muncy Doors Inc. Both companies are COSTAR vendors.

Morgan Foundation grant funds will pay for $75,000 in additional security equipment from Bytespeed and $26,000 in UPS battery backup technology from Mechanical Advantage.

Band uniforms

The board approved purchasing new band uniforms from the DeMoulin Brothers and Co. of Greenville, Illinois, at a cost of $140,473.55.

The district is purchasing uniforms for 130 musicians plus an additional 45 uniforms to accommodate different, future sizing of members.

Band director Mark Beltz stated band uniforms generally last between 10 and 15 years, and the current uniforms are 12 to 13 years old. The new uniforms will be ready for the next school year.

Thank you

The board received a letter from the Tamaqua Elementary PTO thanking them for bringing back elementary art. Superintendent Dr. Stephen Toth pointed out that they’ve received a lot of positive feedback.