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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board continued the push to start construction on a new high school next year by voting 7-1 to purchase modular classrooms for use during construction. Coughlin High School juniors and seniors would attend classes in the modular units, while freshmen and sophomores would be housed at a renovated Mackin Elementary building.</p><p>The vote was brought up at Monday&#8217;s meeting because the district needs time to set up infrastructure and utilities for the modulars, Business Manager Leonard Przywara said.</p><p>The board is considering two sites that currently serve as athletic fields:</p><p>&#8226; Guthrie Field behind Flood Elementary School on North Washington Street;</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;The Bog&#8221; fields between East Main Street and Mill Creek in the Miners Mills section of the city.</p><p>Cost is expected to top $2.25 million.</p><p>The district had looked at two other buildings in Wilkes-Barre to serve as a temporary school &#8212; including the Times Leader building at 15 N. Main St. off Public Square &#8212; but opted for the modular units instead.</p><p>The district hopes to start moving the lower grades to the Mackin building &#8212; renovated at a cost still a bit below $8 million &#8212; when they return from Christmas break in January. The higher grades would largely be restricted to the newer annex section of Coughlin until the end of the year.</p><p>Fear of structural flaws in the venerable Coughlin building have concerned the school board for the last few years. Engineers have warned pieces of the facade could fall, and extensive emergency work was done to shore up parts of the building, particularly the walls that line an inner courtyard.</p><p>Concern for the stability of those walls prompted the closing of the library, which sits under them in the courtyard space.</p><p>The district also has set up perimeter fencing around the building, and protective sheds over the doors.</p><p>The board voted in June to close Meyers and Coughlin high schools, merging grades nine through 12 into one new school at the Coughlin site. Kistler Elementary will be expanded to accept grades seven and eight from Meyers.</p><p>The district&#8217;s &#8220;design team&#8221; &#8212; four area firms working together &#8212; has said it would be far too costly to repair and update Meyers and Coughlin. The board initially considered other sites for a new school but narrowed the choice to building on one of the two existing sites for financial reasons.</p><p>District financial advisers told the board the district could borrow no more than $100 million to build a new school without seeking voter approval, and the board opted to stay at or below that amount. The cost of a new high school is estimated at about $75 million.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Juniors, seniors will attend classes in those units</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Coughlin juniors, seniors to be schooled in modular rooms next year