Restroom construction at Springdale Junior/Senior High School will be limited to the auditorium lobby.

In a consensus poll of Allegheny Valley School Board members, eight members agreed with this concept as presented by Terry Thompson of the Foreman Group, the design and construction services firm hired by the board.

The ninth board member, Mary Ellen Ecker, was absent.

Another option considered was expanding the new restroom area into a hallway in a classroom wing, according to Superintendent Patrick Graczyk.

Thompson said the new restrooms will be located on the left side of the lobby entrance.

“At the end of the day, it takes up about 25 percent of your lobby,” Thompson said. “As I understand it, this is not widely used.”

The school’s Hall of Fame plaques hang on a wall in that part of the hall and should be moved, he said.

“It’s a dead zone,” board member Kathleen Haas acknowledged.

“I think it will make the lobby smaller, but it won’t make it uglier,” said board member Amy Sarno.

Board member Larry Pollick reminded school officials that the reason for the project was to make the restrooms wheelchair accessible.

Thompson said current plans show doors being installed at the entrance to the restrooms primarily to dampen noise, but that could change. He said the absence of doors would make it easier for people in wheelchairs to use the toilets and the doors could be removed if suitable soundproofing material could be found.

One problem, Thompson said, is that when one of the hall walls was opened to examine how it was constructed, a secondary structure was discovered in the wall. It’s something he’s only seen once in his 40-year construction career.

It’s like having two structures supporting the roof, he said, and that wasn’t intended.

Thompson said the situation should be further investigated and resolved. That could increase the cost of the work, which in June was estimated at about $1.4 million.

“In order to get this done by the next school year, I would like to put out a request for proposals no later than Dec. 15,” Thompson said.

He also informed the board of a second project that Foreman is involved in, repairing the exterior facade at the rear of the “D” wing of the high school.

The precast concrete panels on this wing have shifted, according to Superintendent Patrick Graczyk. The plaques were part of the high school expansion and renovation completed in 2012.

Although none of the signs fell, school officials closed an entrance last year that was used by students as a precaution.

The estimated cost of this project is about $1.7 million to $1.9 million, but Thompson said that amount could be reduced by $425,000 if repointing work on the masonry was eliminated.

The reason for moving the signs remains unknown.

“For whatever reason, the way it was built, it’s deteriorating and it will continue to deteriorate,” Thompson said. “We won’t know how much we need to knock out in the interior wall until we demolish the masonry areas.”

He said he would like to tender the work early next year, perhaps in February, and estimated the work would take two years.

Thompson noted at least one positive development regarding the job.

“Prices are going down, bidding is getting better,” he said.