Reconstruction costs to stabilize and repair the Altoona Area School District’s intramural field retaining wall were cut in half, thanks to a $453,192 state grant the district received this week.

The funding is part of a $75 million package awarded to schools statewide under the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Environment Repairs Grant program, announced by the Shapiro administration on Monday.

Schools can use the money to improve water infrastructure, install point-of-use treatment devices to reduce lead and other contaminants, remediate mold or asbestos contamination and perform other projects that remediate environmental hazards.

Altoona Area will use their portion of the funding to offset half of the district’s nearly $900,000 construction costs for the wall, according to Superintendent Brad Hatch.

As part of the grant provision, the district committed to matching the award amount, which worked out nicely, he said.

For the past two years, the retaining wall has been crumbling from the field’s 50-yard line down Fifth Avenue toward 15th Street, Hatch said, noting the wall has been standing since the early 1900s.

“It started to get compromised,” Hatch said of the wall. “We saw some crumbling of the rocks and stones that needed immediate attention.”

Some infrastructure studies showed water freezing and expanding underneath Fifth Avenue was leading to the wall’s instability, Hatch said, adding construction to repair the wall is currently underway and should be complete by the end of October.

Hatch said the district is replacing a good portion of the wall as part of the construction, which will include some masonry work around the remaining part of the wall to stabilize it. He said any issues underneath Fifth Avenue will be remedied through the project.

Several district officials — including Haley Fleegle, Ryan Shope, Sue Franks and Trevor Robinson — were directly involved in helping the district apply for the grant in the spring, Hatch said.

“They did a great job and we were fortunate to be the only Blair County school district and one of only a few in the area to receive the funding,” Hatch said, adding the grant is a “generous award” to help support the district’s endeavor.

Other districts receive awards

In Cambria County, the Central Cambria and Penn Cambria School Districts also received funding through the Environment Repairs Grant program.

Central Cambria received a $894,732 grant that offers a 50% match and will be used to cover expenses for a new roof and to provide heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades to the Jackson Elementary School building in Jackson Township, according to Superintendent Jason Moore.

Moore said the building was originally built 100 years ago and has had several additions and renovations over the years. However, the heating system is “outdated” and uses steam, he said, adding the district plans to convert to a hydronic system, which uses a boiler to heat water that’s pumped through pipes to heat or cool a building.

“The goal is to prevent any potential for mold growth by replacing the aging roof, adding some additional ventilation and replacing the heating system,” Moore said.

Penn Cambria received a $39,157 grant, which will be used to cover the costs of asbestos abatement in our high school, said Superintendent Jamie Hartline.

Hartline said the district had “an unfortunate circumstance” over Thanksgiving break last year, during which a waterline break caused some damage to the high school.

Work to repair the building was completed over the summer, Hartline said, adding the total cost for the abatement was $53,142.

“That certainly will be beneficial to the district,” Hartline said of the funding. “It’s paying more than 50% of the abatement costs.”

Charter schools — as well as career and technical education centers — also received funding to fix problems like leaky roofs, lead pipes and asbestos in building materials.

The Greater Altoona Area Career and Technology Center received $26,679. The Admiral Peary Area Vocational Technical School received $147,527.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.