CLAY TWP — Standing in front of the brick arch entry to Dassa McKinney Elementary School, it is difficult to see where the original school ended and where recent additions begin.

Yet the road to completion was not as seamless. It came after years of debate, a lawsuit and delays in construction.

Though construction did not begin until May 2002, the idea of consolidating Moniteau School District's two elementary schools was one of many considered by board members during about 10 years of discussion on ways to cope with increased student enrollment.

Among the options considered was the idea of reopening the Marion Township Elementary School, which had been used only for preschool and head start programs since the early 1990s. Others ideas included adding portable classrooms to the two existing schools, and abandoning both schools to construct a districtwide elementary center on the same campus as the junior-senior high school.

The decision to expand at Dassa was made in the fall of 2000 when the district decided it was more cost effective to add on to an existing structure than to build a new school.

The ceremonial groundbreaking was in May 2002. On the blueprint was a new gymnasium, separate art and music rooms, a new kitchen and cafeteria, three computer labs and more classroom space.

The $11.5 million project was to be finished in time for the start of school in fall 2003, when both schools would be combined.

However, delays were evident just two months into the project when contractor Gurtner Construction of Pittsburgh claimed its subcontractors were not completing deliveries on time.

By October 2002, the district began withholding payments to the contractor, at the advice of the project's architect, Eckles Architecture of New Castle. The construction company responded by stopping all work on April 28 and filing a lawsuit against the district.

The two parties reached an agreement before going to court, with the district paying the $166,000 it had withheld.

Taking into consideration that the school might not be completed in time for the start of school in 2003, the board, which had already moved the start of school back a week, made the decision to keep Washington Elementary School open for another school year.

The district's superintendent at the time, Michael Panza, said though the district would not lose money by keeping the school open, it would postpone a savings of $150,000 to $200,000 it anticipated by closing the school.

By the start of school in the fall, the list of projects to be completed included the new cafeteria and library, restrooms, offices, the gymnasium and the art room.

Working out of a makeshift office in a former fourth-grade classroom, Dassa principal James Wetzel said parents, students, teachers and construction crews were all cooperative, noting the school year started just like any other, despite the surrounding heavy equipment.

"They understand," Wetzel said. "They know the changes are for the good of the kids."

Construction continued throughout the school year and by spring, the district was ready to go forward with the consolidation.

Left behind was Washington Elementary School, where Bliss had served as principal for six years.

"It's kind of sad, but we're just making our family bigger," said Bliss after the last sixth-grade graduation ceremony at the school.

Dolores Bliss and her students moved into the improved Dassa McKinney building in fall 2004, coinciding with Wetzel's retirement.

The consolidation brought enrollment at the school from about 550 in the 2003-04 school year to more than 860 in the 2004-05 school year.

But the increased student population posed no strain for the enlarged building, which has spacious additions such as the cafeteria, where the floor level of the kitchen is lower than that of the dining area, bringing servers and students closer to eye level.

The gymnasium features a stage, bleachers and full-size basketball courts, and the space is available for community use and high school basketball games if needed.

The library, designed with a "sail into reading" theme, features architecture resembling a sail.

The space contains a sunken reading room, separated from the activities at the computer stations and bookshelves, and a separate professional library used by the school's staff. The large space provides room for a growing collection of books.

The existing building also received needed improvements, such as a new, energy efficient lighting system and telephones, cable television, data ports and an intercom system in each classroom.

Other features, such as the yellow-toned block walls and flooring were kept the same, distinguishing the original u-shaped building from the bright white walls and primary-colored accents in the new addition.

Security was also taken into consideration when creating a new entrance, with secured doors that lead visitors directly into the main office during school hours.

The bright white lobby, which provides quick access to the cafeteria, gymnasium and library, features high ceilings and ample natural light.

It was not long before former Washington Elementary students and teachers felt at home in their new school.

"I think the kids came together very nicely, as well as the staff," said Bliss.

Since the consolidation, both the Marion Township and Washington Elementary schools were sold, which increased the district's property tax revenue.

Having completed this major building project, school officials are again looking to improve facilities for students by renovating and adding on to the junior-senior high school on Route 308 in Cherry Township.

This project, slated to begin in late May or early June, will add classrooms for science and special education, enlarge several current classrooms, and move the cafeteria to a location taking advantage of scenic views of the rolling hills behind the school.

The project is estimated at $12.4 million, and the board in February approved a bond issue to finance the project in combination with outstanding debt from Dassa McKinney over a 20-year repayment schedule.

Offsetting the cost of repayment will be state reimbursement, estimated to be about 43 percent by Roth Marz Partnership in Erie, the project's architect.

Hoping to keep to a construction schedule of about 24 months, board president Doug Kimmey asked Chip Uhl, the clerk of works for the project, how the project would be kept on schedule.

Uhl told school board members in February that once a contractor is chosen, the company would be required to submit a schedule for construction, which would be checked and updated throughout the project.

"It's more problem solving and scheduling," said Uhl of the proactive approach.

<b>Address:</b> 1810 West Sunbury Road, West Sunbury, PA 16061<b>Telephone: </b>724-637-2117<b>Fax: </b>724-637-3862<b>Web site:</b> www.moniteau.k12.pa.us<b>E-mail:</b> mpanza@moniteau.k12.pa.us<b>Superintendent: </b>Trudy Peterman<b>Enrollment:</b> 1,740<b>Municipalities served: </b>Clay, Cherry, Concord, Marion, Venango and Washington townships and Cherry Valley, Eau Claire and West Sunbury boroughs