Salisbury School District Buildings Might Get Sprucing

Salisbury Township School Board members are considering a few small-scale projects to improve the curb appeal of two district buildings.

At their operations committee meeting on Monday, board members agreed that sprucing up the front of the administration building, replacing the fence around the high school’s student parking lot and replacing the high school’s marquee could all be cost effective projects to undertake this year.

 For $8,500, the district could paint and repair the front of the on Salisbury Road, said William Brackett, director of maintenance. The paint should last five years before it starts to fade, and patching holes will keep mold and mildew from getting past the façade.

Weather and skateboarders who fly off of railings and land against the building are the main culprits to the façade’s degradation, Brackett said.

“We chase them [the skateboarders] away daily just about,” said Superintendent Robert R. Gross III.

Several school board members said they would also like to consider adding a surveillance camera or signs to deter future vagrants and skateboard destruction before approving the project.

The superintendent advocated for the administration building repairs and two other projects, saying that 78 percent of people living within district lines don’t benefit directly from district services. Improving the appearance of district property is a way of improving the district’s relationship with those residents, Gross said.

Replacing damaged fencing around the student parking lot at Salisbury Township High School will cost about $9,250, Brackett said. Because both projects cost under $10,000, they do not have to be publicly bid.

A third project to rebuild the metal sign on Emmaus Ave. for the high school using the bricklaying skills of Lehigh Carbon Technical Institute students was also discussed.

Because there is a storm system sewer under the existing marquee, district engineers would have to design the sign and the township would have to approve it, adding to the cost, which has yet to be determined, Brackett said.