Burrell School District officials hope the second time is the charm for a renovation project at Bon Air Elementary School.

The district’s architect, HHSDR Inc. of Pittsburgh, provided officials with an estimate of slightly more than $10 million for an HVAC and kitchen renovation project at Bon Air, said Superintendent Shannon Wagner.

In August, the school board, at Wagner’s recommendation, rejected a proposed kitchen and cafeteria addition, and HVAC upgrades, at Bon Air because the bids were over budget. They directed officials to rebid the project at a smaller scope to cut costs. Wagner has said she is hopeful the smaller-scale project can work for students and staff.

“Our target was $10 million, so it’s $93,000 over, but we can pull that out of capital reserve if we need to,” Wagner said. “We’ll see where the project comes in.”

With the closure of Stewart Elementary School last year, Bon Air became a kindergarten through fourth grade building and Charles A. Huston Middle School housed fifth through eighth grades.

No renovations were necessary at Huston, but district administration recommended a kitchen addition and heating and cooling upgrades to Bon Air with the realignment.

Project advertisements are being released in the next few weeks, Wagner said. Bids are due Feb. 10, and Wagner anticipates the board considering the bids at a February or March meeting.

“If the bids can come in at $10 million or below, we need to do the project. It’s part of us as an organization ensuring our buildings are operational for another 50 years.

“If we don’t do these upgrades we won’t be able to operate seamlessly. We need to do this for the kids, if nothing else.”

Bon Air does not have air conditioning, and its heating and ventilation systems are from 1997.

If the board approves the project, Wagner anticipates a March start date for construction and a March 2027 completion date.

An $8 million heating and cooling project at Burrell High School remains underway and is “on-schedule,” Wagner said. Completion is anticipated in August.

The high school does not have air conditioning and its heating and ventilation system is from 1964.

The school board has already taken out a $10 million bond for the high school project and anticipates taking out another $10 million to cover the other projects.