Donora ponders future of elementary center

More repairs are needed to the roof of the building, which has been vacant since 2011.

More than a decade after closing its doors to students, the Donora Elementary Center continues to challenge borough leaders, who approved emergency roof repairs Thursday while debating the future of a building some say is becoming too costly to keep.

Council unanimously approved a $6,400 payment to McGrew Construction Services for emergency roof repairs at the vacant school building after additional damage was discovered during work completed earlier this year.

The approval sparked a broader discussion about the future of the former school, with council members expressing concern about the increasing costs associated with maintaining the aging structure.

“This building is starting to be a liability to Donora,” Councilman Roderick Wilson said. “It is burning up our resources.”

Wilson said the borough continues to spend thousands of dollars on repairs while the building remains vacant.

“Every time we turn around we have to fix it and it is costing thousands of dollars,” Wilson said. “I know there is someone interested and that is yet to be determined, but we have to get rid of it one way or another.”

While acknowledging the building’s historical significance, Wilson said council must consider the financial burden it places on taxpayers.

“I hate to see it go, but it is costing taxpayers,” he said. “We have to make a painful decision. It is decaying and it is costing, and I want you all to know someone may come along, but it might not be ideal, and it has to get out of our hands.”

Wilson added that the borough continues to invest money into a structure that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

“It is costing us and the taxpayers money to keep a building that is becoming dilapidated,” Wilson said.

“It’s the biggest eyesore, but we keep sinking money into it.”

Before the vote, Councilman James Brice questioned whether the additional work meets the criteria for an emergency repair.

Solicitor Steve Toprani said it does, citing both recent weather conditions and the potential for additional damage if the repairs are delayed.

“As the fire chief indicated during our work session, the structural integrity of buildings can be compromised from water,” Toprani said. “I think we have had sufficient discussion about that.”

Toprani also referenced potential liability concerns tied to the deteriorating condition of the roof.

“I feel this would be a suitable emergency repair, even with the discovery of the roof damage when repair work was previously completed,” he said.

The latest repairs come just months after McGrew Construction Services completed a $12,500 roof repair project in March after water entered the building through a damaged section of the roof.

Despite its deteriorating appearance and problems with the roof, most of the DEC remains structurally sound.

Built in 1930 as Donora High School, the building features brick walls, cast-stone foundations and a durable framework that have withstood decades of use.

The last class graduated from Donora High School in 1969. Following the formation of the Ringgold School District, the building was repurposed as Donora Elementary Center in the late 1970s and remained open until 2011, when Ringgold consolidated students into the former Carroll Middle School.

Donora Borough purchased the 74,000-square-foot building and its 34-acre property from Ringgold School District in 2014 for $20,000.

Over the years, the site has been the subject of numerous redevelopment proposals.

In 2015, the Community College of Allegheny County studied the property as a potential trades training campus. A 2018 feasibility study also explored possible redevelopment opportunities.

Ideas discussed for the property have included senior housing, a charter school, a community center, medical offices and memory care facilities.

For now, borough officials continue searching for a longterm solution while addressing maintenance issues at the nearly century-old landmark.

Council President Casey Perrotta agreed that finding a future use for the building remains challenging despite interest from prospective buyers.

“There have been a few people interested in the building, but there are zoning issues they would have to take care of,” Perrotta said. “I’m not sure if the zoning hearing board would grant those variances or not, but we as council don’t have that decision.”

Perrotta noted that while council could sell the property, any proposed use would still require approval through the borough’s zoning process.

“We could sell the building, but the use of the building would have to go through the zoning hearing board,” he said.