Keystone Central announces public meeting on future of Liberty-Curtin Elementary

MILL HALL, PA – The Keystone Central School District has posted word there will be a special school board meeting/work session next week, the topic the future of the district’s Liberty-Curtin elementary school in Blanchard.

The public session will be held Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Mountain Middle School auditorium in Mill Hall and will also be streamed through Zoom. The notice, posted on the district website, says the meeting’s purpose is “discussing possible renovations and/or the rebuilding of the Liberty Curtin Elementary School, located at 11125 North Eagle Valley Road, Blanchard, PA, and any other business that may be appropriately brought and/or discussed by the Board.”

The topic had been briefly discussed at the board’s work session earlier this month. Board member Jeff Johnston, head of the board’s facility committee, said at the time the committee had recently heard a presentation from a consultant with Crabtree, Rohrbach and Associates on Liberty-Curtin options.

Johnston talked of two options: renovations or new construction on site. He said costs have “skyrocketed” in the last year and renovations would be almost as much as new construction. He said the board would be getting more information from the consultant, to be shared with the public at the October meeting.

Recent attendance figures from the district show the school housing 152 students, grades kindergarten through fourth.