Major changes are coming to Kratzer Elementary School during an 18-month renovation project and systems' upgrade beginning in March.

At the Dec. 19, 2013, board meeting, Tom Daniels, senior project manager of Alvin H. Butz Inc., reported South Whitehall granted zoning approval for two portable units to be placed on the site throughout the project.

Each portable has two classrooms and carries a leasing fee of $2,300 a month.

District Superintendent Richard Sniscak said enclosed walkways will be provided from the school to the portable units for security reasons.

Jim Petro, of U.S.A. Architects, explained the plan to separate bus parking from other vehicular parking.

Presently, parents who are transporting their children get mixed in with the bus traffic.

A new bus parking lot will be installed along the Huckleberry Road side where a grassy area now exists.

"This will be a 100 percent improvement over what they have now," Petro said.

He turned attention to the white band extending around the top of the building.

"It is composed of panels containing asbestos and is starting to show its age," Petro said. "We propose removing and replacing the panels."

This process would add $180,000 to the cost, Daniels added.

No decision was made on the issue.

Tracy Smith, assistant to the superintendent for operations, reported the school will undergo a complete wiring upgrade.

"There will be no phone lines," Smith said. "All communication will come over one centralized data line."

The school will have a TV studio and video on demand. Smith explained a new feature – a voice amplification system in each classroom.

Teachers will wear a small unit about the size of a photo ID as a pendant. They may use the amplifier whenever desired.

Smith said amplification has been proven to help children with reading skills.

Daniels and Petro described other projects included in the capital improvements plan for which the district is borrowing $30 million over three years.

The board approved a parameters resolution to enable the administration to proceed with a borrowing transaction when the market is most advantageous.

Business Manager John Vignone said the resolution allows Parkland to obtain $12 million, but the district will keep it under $10 million.

"We will prepare the documents now and by mid-January be ready to make the move," Vignone said.