Starting in the fall of 2010, elementary students in the McKeesport Area district will join older peers at a school adjacent to Cornell Intermediate School.

McKeesport Area directors voted unanimously last Thursday to build an elementary school on what is now Cornell's large athletic field, near the intersection of Spring Avenue and Cornell Street.

Construction of the school is part of a $40 million master plan that includes a new elementary school adjacent to Francis McClure Intermediate in White Oak and renovations to Cornell.

Board vice president Steven Kondrosky said having two schools on one site could reduce maintenance and transportation costs, because younger students in McKeesport would have to be bused to one location. It also could facilitate collaboration among teachers from the two schools and open up the possibility of sharing resources.

The Cornell site came in the most highly recommended by Kimball Architects, which had been contracted to identify and evaluate sites for the new elementary school.

Kimball also presented two other sites, one on a wooded property adjacent to Renziehausen Park and another on a residential block on Versailles Avenue, neither of which the district owns.

Board president Wayne Washowich and Mr. Kondrosky said the site next to Renziehausen Park was their first choice, but because it's privately owned, they had concerns that the district would have to delay construction of the new school if acquisition became difficult.

Mr. Washowich said he is concerned that Cornell Intermediate, which is falling into disrepair, will need to be abandoned. In that case, the park site would be ideal because it is large enough to accommodate a new elementary school and a new intermediate school.

Mr. Kondrosky said he preferred that site because of its "park-like atmosphere."

"I think it's magnificent," he said.

But because the district had not started the acquisition process, it could not anticipate how long it would take to buy the property or whether the current owners would be willing to sell it.

"What if something comes up down the road?" he said. "At least with Cornell, we can start [construction] next week."

The cobblestone road that runs along the northern edge of the campus is a major problem with the Cornell site. Spring Street, which turns into Spring Avenue, is in serious disrepair. Police and firefighters will not use it.

If the city is not willing to pay for repairs, the district may have to foot the bill or the street may be closed.

"I don't like to take my vehicle down there," said Mr. Kondrosky. "It would have to be repaired or something."

He said he hopes that if it is determined that the street has to be repaired, the district could split costs with the city.