What to do with Colfax? That's the question for Allegheny Valley School Board candidates

What to do with the now-empty Colfax Elementary School is on the minds of the seven candidates vying for five seats on the Allegheny Valley School Board.

Candidates include three incumbents — James Gaschler, Steve Puskar and Glenna Renaldi — and four challengers. Challengers Salvatore Conte and Kathleen “Jeanne” Haas have previously served on the board while candidates Paula Moretti and David Buchman are newcomers.

All candidates are cross-filed on Tuesday’s primary election ballot. No one will be elected Tuesday; the five top vote-getters in both the Democratic and Republican primaries will face off in November.

Opinions on what to do about Colfax vary among the candidates, but a decision is likely going to be made in the coming school year.

Haas wants to see the district keep the building and possibly bring in revenue for the district through tenants.

“If we could renovate part of it and get something in there that would bring money back into the school district or for the community to use, I’d be in favor of that,” she said. “I’d never sell.”

Gaschler thinks the building should be put up for sale to take the responsibility of it off the district’s hands.

He said even if the building is renovated and rented out to tenants the district would ultimately be responsible for it.

“That’s just not the business of the school district,” he said. “(We need) someone in private industry to do that.”

Buchman wants the district to put the property on the market while officials explore other options so interest could be gauged.

He said he has concerns about feasibility of the district getting a private investor to renovate the building.

“It’s obviously in the millions, but we don’t know how many millions,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s possible or not.”

Morettiwants the district to hold onto the property in case it might need it in the future if enrollment increases.

She is in favor of tearing at least part of it down so it doesn’t become an eyesore.

“If nothing else, put a park for the kids to enjoy it,” she said. “I’m always open to hear some ideas.”

Renaldi said she would like something like a community center or other venue for residents.

“I would like to see it, if at all possible, be something constructive for the community at no cost to the district,” she said. “Everything comes with a price tag, and there’d have to be someone who wants to get involved with it.”

Puskar said he thinks the district should tear down the building but keep the property for future use.

“We need to be forward thinking in saying what might be the possible needs,” he said. “I think there’s all kind of possibilities.”

Puskar said the district could consider using the property for something like tennis courts or other athletic facilities, district offices or some kind of educational space.

Conte said when he previously served on the board they had agreed the building should be torn down. He said he’d have to review all of the newest information before making a decision.

“I don’t know what has changed since then,” he said.

Conte said he’s running again after being off the board for a couple years because he wanted to ensure taxes stay low and be involved with the decision-making again.

“You’ve got to work as a team to get anything done, and I just want to be part of that team again,” he said.

Gashler and Buchman are both focused on making sure the board is transparent with the public.

Gashler spearheaded efforts to livestream and record board meetings, something that was met with some resistance.

“I’m very proud to say, if there’s one thing I’ve accomplished it’s at least that,” he said. “Moving forward I’m really running to make sure that we continue to have accessible and transparent government.”

Buchman said he’s had trouble getting board documents through state Right-to-Know requests and wants to make sure residents have access to public documents.

“That’s what really got me going,” he said. “I’ve always been a fan of open government and accessible government.”

Renaldi said she wants to remain on the board to ensure Allegheny Valley remains relevant with technology and the demands of education today.

“It’s interesting to see the gamut of change and how things are progressing,” she said. “And how to figure out for a small district how to stay on that cutting edge.”

Puskar wants to remain on the board because it’s a commitment to the community. He said he also brings the perspective of a school administrator to the board because he is a principal in a different district.

“For me, it’s a commitment, really, to the students to provide the best education possible and to the taxpayers to do it in the most financially responsible way,” he said.

Haas said she would like to see the district offer more options for what students can do after graduation, including attending trade schools.

“There’s some kids that don’t want to go to college,” she said.

Moretti said she would bring with her 30 years of experience in the district as well as the perspective of a former district parent. After her retirement she knew she wanted to stay involved in some capacity.

“I want to keep that connection and I think I have something to bring to the district,” she said.