ADAMS TWP — The Mars School Board is considering building a $31 million middle school.

The board on Tuesday was expected to vote on a $10 million bond for several upgrade and replacement projects, but the announcement came that building a new middle school now is an option.

Anthony Ditka, the district’s bond counsel from Janney Montgomery Scott, explained that extensive renovations are needed at the existing middle school at the intersection of Route 228 and Three Degree Road.

He said Superintendent Wesley Shipley asked him how much more the district would need to borrow to build a new school.

Ditka said the district can borrow a maximum of $20 million now, but that amount goes up in July.

He said if the district continues to increase its revenue by 3 percent each year as it has for several years, and continues to pay down existing debt at the same speed, it would have enough capacity to borrow the $31 million in about 2.5 years.

But if the district goes ahead with the $10 million bond now, a project to build a new middle school would be pushed back another year to 3½ years, Ditka said.

Board President Dayle Ferguson said that according to a facilities study last year, about $20 million in renovations are needed at the middle school.

She said the district needs $5 million for immediate upgrade projects. She asked Ditka if the board borrowed that $5 million now, could it act on a $31 million bond in the near future for a new middle school.

Ditka said no.

“If you want to build a bigger building, the more you borrow, the more that gets pushed out,” he said.

Shipley said the middle school is no longer conducive for the programs planned for seventh- and eighth-grade students.

He said the amount of money needed for those programs is so high, it might make more sense to build a new school.

William Pettigrew, board member and former superintendent, reminded the board that when the school was built in 1972, it was one huge open room because the open classroom concept was popular then.

Over the years, as the concept was abandoned, walls were built in the school to create classrooms and other areas. Pettigrew said the building is actually a large shell with added walls.

“We piecemealed that school together,” Pettigrew said.

The board took no action on Tuesday night, but is expected to make a decision later.