MONTOURSVILLE -- It seems the battle over a controversial school construction project is finally over. Work at Montoursville Area School District is officially back on track after a several month hiatus.
Wednesday Newswatch 16 sat down with the school board president who says one of his main goals now to help reunite the community.
The familiar sound of heavy machinery is back in Montoursville.
"It's normal now hearing all the noises,” said Kayla Venema.
After nearly two years of debate, the Montoursville Area School Board has come to a compromise, unanimously approving a revised high school construction and renovation plan.
"Project Unity," said Ron Snell.
"I want them to settle on a solution and not keep going back and forth because that wastes so much money," said Mary Neenan.
Back in September of 2014, the school district first showed Newswatch 16 plans for its $36 million high school renovation and construction project.
"We still have a lot of changing and a lot of tweaking to do," said a school board official.
More than a year later that project was put on hold by a newly elected school board.
“It's been a long year," said Ron Snell.
The revised project just approved by the school board saves the stone front of the high school and includes new buildings.
"The actual deletion of items was only the auxiliary gym,” said Snell.
Because of Project Unity the school board expects to save a couple million dollars on the high school plan. School board members hope to use that money on another school in the district they think needs repairs, Loyalsock Valley Elementary.
"When all of this was going on they were kind of ashamed that it was separating everybody. It just wasn't one of our best times I would say,” said Venema.
School board president Ron Snell says the compromise meets his goals of saving the stone front of the high school and helping valley elementary.
"I didn't think there was going to be as big of a divide as there has been. I'm just hoping that we can bring that divide together," said Snell.
Montoursville Area school officials who are happy to see construction started again are not sure when the project may be completed. They hope sometime next year.