BVA mulls future of Rostraver Middle School building

By Christine Haines
chaines@yourmvi.com

The former Rostraver Middle School building may get a new life — and a new name — as the Belle Vernon Area School Board is thinking about its future.
The school has been closed since 2014, though a new roof was put on and new windows have been put in throughout most of the building.
School board President Joe Grata said the gym floor was redone and the locker rooms have been upgraded with new showers, but there is still more to be done at the building.
“There’s a big room that used to be the cafeteria that could be used for board meetings, events, booster meetings,” Grata said. “There are four rooms that could be classrooms, especially at the elementary level.”
Joel Whiteko, who chairs the Facilities and Grounds Committee, said the board is looking for more generalized uses for the building.
“Board members are concerned we are only spending money on athletics on that building,” Whiteko said.
Whiteko said it would be good to be able to use the former cafeteria for school board meetings instead of the confusion of the past created by rotating between buildings.
Whiteko said the high school auditorium is generally too large and the conference room in the administration building is too small.
“The first thing we need is to come up with a name change because it’s no longer the Rostraver Middle School,” Whiteko said.
All middle school students in the district currently attend Belle Vernon Area Middle School, which is housed in the former Bellmar Middle School.

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