MECHANICSBURG – Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools board approved some repair work for its driveways and parking areas Monday.

District staff intends to look into fixing parking issues longer term, looking at future capital needs for the facilities.

The board approved spending up to $44,533 for parking lot repairs, including stripping, seal coating and crack fill. The amount would include fixing up an area where a natural spring runs under the U-shaped driveway in front, which is deteriorating the driveway; and adding 2 inches of asphalt to the U-driveway because buses use that drive often.

There were four quotes for a mix of the needed repairs, Superintendent Danielle Prohaska said. The board’s approval gives administrators the freedom to mix and match which companies do the various work, or go with one vendor that can do it all.

The need for parking is an ongoing issue at the district. Prohaska told the board there are a couple of options of adding parking, such as widening the U-drive to put in angled parking for non-bus hours; moving the elementary playground and using that space for parking; adding 10 spaces near the front of the school; adding another parking lot to the side or front of the school. The board wanted the options all considered, with an idea of what it would cost, before making a decision.

“Obviously, there’s a shortage of parking overall in the district,” Prohaska said. “We need to think about how we can make some adjustments in the short term, and plan for the longer term. We’ll never have enough parking to accommodate huge events, but we can look at how we can design parking that’s workable.”

The parking repairs will be done this summer.

The school board also approved replacement of the last of the bleachers in the main gymnasium and the repair and addition of glass cases for display at its meeting.

The board approved paying $15,000 for All Glass Shops to provide two new display cases and to modify one existing display case. Prohaska said the newer cabinets are taller than the older ones, so the modification is to make the older cases match the size of the newer ones.

The board approved paying $17,127 to finish the replacement of gym bleacher seats from Farnham Equipment Company. This is the last set of seats that needed to be replaced in the gym.