According to Hartline, the funding will be used to improve the safety of arriving at the high school campus. That includes installing new driving lanes, concrete walkways for pedestrians, paving and curbing, LED street lighting and signage this summer, he said.

During the bidding phase of the district’s $49 million campus consolidation project, which will eventually bring all students onto the Cresson campus, Hartline said the district’s school board of directors identified the need to reconfigure the high school’s entrance as a priority.

Since it did not fit into the project’s budget at the time, the board made the work part of an alternate bid and decided to pursue the grant, he said.

Other areas of the campus — such as a paved walkway from the student overflow parking lot down to the high school, some line painting and “things of that nature” — will also be addressed this summer, Hartline said.

The Penn Cambria High School football field home bleachers and pressbox are seen from an aerial view. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“The items that will be addressed through the grant probably would not be able to be done until this summer because we still need access to those areas during the school year,” Hartline said.

The district also recently received $500,000 from an anonymous donor for its stadium renovation plans.

Last year, the district launched an effort to fundraise nearly $10 million for athletic facility improvements. To date, Penn Cambria has raised $835,100 for that initiative, Hartline said, noting upgrades are needed due to current public safety concerns and lost opportunities for student athletes.

According to Hartline, the board identified areas of the stadium project that would impact students the most and created a phased approach to address the highest needs.

The first phase — parking improvements, demolishing the old concession stand and improvements to the old press box — were included in the overall project, Hartline said.

The Penn Cambria High School football field is seen from an aerial view. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

However, stadium renovations and athletic improvements were not included in the $49 million renovation project due to budget constraints, Hartline said, noting the district has maxed out its borrowing capacity.

The second phase involves replacing the athletic field’s playing surface turf, the six-lane track that surrounds the field, a 4-foot fence and a paved apron that’s about 6-feet wide, both of which surround the track, Hartline said.

The second phase also includes lighting improvements, new bleachers and stormwater management. According to a district presentation, phase two costs about $4.6 million with contingencies and soft costs.

A third phase — costing about $1.1 million — involves installing new asphalt, restrooms, concessions and a ticketing area, according to the presentation.

A fourth phase — costing about $3 million — involves upgrades to the district’s fieldhouse, locker rooms, training room, support spaces, entrance gateway and concrete plaza.

Hartline said Penn Cambria’s track team does not have home track meets currently, and the district is unable to approve youth programs’ requests to use its athletic facilities for events because of the playing surface’s current condition.

Hartline said the district is still in the preliminary stages of fine-tuning prices for its athletic facility upgrades, which could take years before they come to fruition.

“We have a solid number to look at from a budgeting perspective, so I wouldn’t be able to put a timeframe on it — whether it would be within the next year or two or maybe even further out,” he said.

“It just depends on if we continue to be successful with raising some funds for this because it does not fit into the project budget,” Hartline added, noting district officials are “extremely grateful” for the donations they have received so far from community members and business owners.

“I think many have realized that our students are losing opportunities, and we’ve had some community members who have been very supportive of that,” he said. “There’s positive things happening on campus, and we just want to continue to have a positive relationship with our community members.”

Hartline said anyone who wishes to donate to Penn Cambria’s vision for athletic facility upgrades can contact the athletic or administrative office at 814-886-8121.

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