BLOSSBURG, PA. (WENY) -- At a recent Board of Education meeting for the Southern Tioga School District, the Board of Directors voted to not move forward with a school consolidation plan. Instead, members voted in favor of an infrastructure improvement plan.

In a vote of 4-5 the board voted down a proposal that would have furthered "the condensed campus plan at the BES (Blossburg Elementary School) site". As previously outlined at a March school board meeting, the Condensed Campus Plan would have dropped the number of schools in the district from five to three. The district said under the plan, Warren L. Miller would have been realigned for children in grades K-5, North Penn Liberty would have been realigned and renovated for children in grades K-5, and a proposed Blossburg School would have been a newly constructed building for grades 6-12. The estimated cost for that plan would have been $89.2 million.

The infrastructure plan, as outlined in March would bring improvements to school's parking, windows, technology, plumbing, and more, to the tune of $89 million. The motion passed at the most recent board meeting, in a 5-4 vote, will "authorize administration to proceed only with the next steps in furtherance of the infrastructure improvement plan with a borrowing cap of $40 million, which allows a 20 year amortization schedule".

Here's what is outlined in the school districts most recent plan for infrastructure improvements at each of their five schools:

Liberty Elementary School, with $15.8 million in upgrades

  • Parking lot improvements
  • Exterior wall improvements
  • Window improvements
  • ADA and code compliance fixes
  • Door upgrades
  • New interior finishes
  • Updated fire alarm system

Blossburg Elementary School, with $23.8 million in upgrades

  • ADA and code compliance fixes
  • Door upgrades
  • Lighting upgrades
  • New interior finishes
  • Window improvements

Warren L. Miller Elementary School, with $1.8 million in upgrades

  • Parking lot and roadway improvements
  • New ceilings
  • Technology upgrades
  • New electrical distribution
  • Roof fixes

North Penn-Liberty High School, with $15.1 million in upgrades

  • ADA and code compliance fixes
  • New interior finishes
  • Door upgrades
  • New plumbing fixtures

North Penn-Mansfield High School, with $24.1 million in upgrades

  • New emergency and standby power
  • New electrical distribution
  • New interior finishes
  • Door upgrades
  • New plumbing fixtures

The project has an estimated completion date of 2027, according to the plan released in March.