Several construction projects are in the works for schools in Centre County, but they come with a big price tag. Now, district administrators are trying to find some relief for taxpayers.

Radio Park, Corl Street, Lemont and Houserville Elementary schools could all see change in the near future.

“We certainly haven’t let the buildings fall into a deteriorating state; however, we do have buildings that were built to the building codes in the 50’s and 60’s and have handicap accessibility problems, older infrastructure and issues that, in one way or another, will need to be addressed in the foreseeable future,” Ed Poprik, Director of Physical Plant, said.

Poprik estimates projects could cost between $17 and $20 million for Radio Park, $16-19 million for Houserville, and $11-12 million for Corl Street.

The most recent master plan includes merging Lemont and Houserville.

On Monday, the board approved the plan in a seven to two vote, which will begin five months earlier than originally intended thanks to the state’s weekend PlanCon funding deadline. Officials said applying for this state funding could save taxpayers millions.

“All total, if grant money were achieved, we could be looking at maybe $4-6 million of non-local money to help support the construction of these projects,” Poprik said. “It’s quite a large undertaking. Our district has a number of older buildings that have been awaiting attention.”

Poprik added that just because the board approved this master plan does not mean renovations will actually happen. The board could withdraw their plans and the state could cut funding. Decisions are expected to play out in the coming months.

In the meantime, the district will host public meetings to gage feedback for the projects. For a list of times and dates, click here.