BELOIT — The West Branch school board will be updating the heating and cooling systems at Knox Elementary.

The board recently contracted with TRANE for the project and approved a lease purchase agreement to finance it.

Superintendent Matthew Manley said the project will include a new roof, boilers and eco-management system to make the building more energy efficient. He said the district has completed similar updates at its other buildings over the past couple years.

“The savings ultimately pay for the project over the long-term,” he said.

Manley also described the lease purchase agreement as a loan to divide the cost. He said the district will provide a large down payment, then finance the rest.

The lease purchase agreement is not to exceed $3 million, but Manley said it is expected to be between $1 million and $1.5 million. He said the cost of project not yet known because the district is still waiting on estimates for a few aspects.

The school board reopened the building in September of 2022 for the district’s preschool program and local daycare services after being closed in the fall of 2020 due to declining enrollment.

An attempt at an earned income tax to keep the building open previously failed in November 2022. The building has remained in operation thanks to donations and the revenue from the preschool and lease agreements with Small Wonders Daycare and the Columbiana County Education Service Center.

Manley said the building is nearly filled to capacity — the ESC has a long-term lease and occupies eight rooms; the daycare, which occupies six rooms, is one a year-by-year lease, but has been turning away student due to demand; and the preschool occupies four rooms with 110 students. There are only a couple empty rooms.

“The building is well-used and is a great service to our community,” Manley said.