Spring-Ford Official Clarifies District’s Stance on $8M Athletic Center

Spring-Ford Area School Board Director Joseph Ciresi squelched a rumor at a recent meeting that the board was planning to commit $8 million in taxpayer funds to build a new sports and athletic center, which he called a “complete and utter lie.” 

Ciresi, board liaison to the property committee, said there have been talks about building a health, wellness and nutrition center, but that every time this project has come up, it was agreed that the district would have to look for private funding, as the price would be to high to “go back to the taxpayer base.”

According to Ciresi, the talks came from the fact that the high school’s weight room needed to be expanded, as it currently only fits 50 students, of the 1900 population at the school.

“The previous board the borrowed $36 million to build the high school expansion,” Ciresi said. “The weight room should have been expanded with the expansion of the building, but that did not happen”

Ciresi said that the board has considered the opportunity of building a curriculum-based center, for students interested in the medical field, sports management and health and wellness.

“We were looking to take advantage of an opportunity to build a program to have our kids have an opportunity beyond what anyone else has,” Ciresi said.  “A track for doctors, sports management, fitness and wellness, therapy – like a high-end vo-tech that would be here on the campus.”

Ciresi said that the issue is likely ‘off the table, because it was such a horrible issue to look at.”

“I don’t know if the board will continue to discuss it,” Ciresi said.

Ciresi said the board is looking at other ways to expand the weight room; one option required moving the heating and cooling system for the school, with a price tag of $350,000.  

Another option is to expand the weight room into the wrestling room, which would be moved to the auxiliary gym.