West Allegheny school officials have agreed to borrow $10 million for high school additions and renovations to serve a population expected to increase by 200 students over the next decade.

Plans include building more classrooms, adding a balcony to the auditorium for increased capacity, and installing artificial turf in the stadium.

The school board approved the $10 million, 20-year bond issue Aug. 16 and agreed to submit preliminary renovation plans to the state Department of Education. Both measures passed 7-0, with members Jeff Sweet and Robert Ostrander absent.

"We're not doing anything to be frivolous. We're just trying to update our facilities," Debbie Mirich, head of the board's finance committee, later said. "We know that we need it, we have the growth in the area, and we're excited."

A recent growth study commissioned by the district found the high school population would increase from about 1,025 to 1,225 over the next 10 years.

"The bottom line was we had to borrow this money to do what needs to be done . . . to handle the kids," said Jerry Wessel, the district's business manager.

Mr. Wessel said the bond issue would not cause an immediate tax increase for property owners in Findlay, North Fayette and Oakdale.

"It's not going to immediately affect your millage rate because the district is predicting enough revenue to cover the increased debt payment," Mr. Wessel said. "Can I guarantee there won't be a millage increase down the road? No."

Total project cost will be $16 to $18 million, Superintendent John DiSanti said. Funding would come from the new bond issue, plus up to $8 million the board had borrowed in 2004, when interest rates were low, and set aside for future high school improvements.

Edward Faux, school board vice president and chairman of the property and supply committee, said students were very involved in academics, arts and athletics, so upgrades were needed in all areas.

Preliminary plans for the high school include adding a two-story wing on the site of the outdoor tennis courts, which would be moved.

The new wing would create 12 classrooms and lockers on the second floor, and the equivalent of 12 more classrooms on the lower level where the art and industrial arts & technology, or shop, programs would relocate.

Guidance offices and an expanded fitness center/weight room would move to the former art and industrial arts areas. The main administration and principals' offices would be expanded and modernized, and the main hallways would be widened.

In the auditorium, the roof would be raised to make space for a balcony that would increase seating capacity from about 670 to 1,000. Space would be added to the side of the auditorium for rehearsals and storage.

Stadium work would include artificial turf, a new track and additional restrooms. Mrs. Mirich said the artificial turf would benefit not only football games but also band events, gym classes and other sports.

A three-story structure, including one underground level, would be built adjacent to the gym and stadium. The new space would include locker rooms and meeting rooms for sports teams, booster groups and health classes. Existing locker rooms would be modernized.

Restrooms would be upgraded with energy-efficient lights and flushing mechanisms.

"Those are the basic parts of the project, but the details of how they get implemented may change," Mr. Faux said.

Mr. Faux, who is an engineer, said installing the artificial turf and rebuilding the tennis courts, or temporarily using courts elsewhere, probably would start in the spring , but the overall construction plan still needed to be worked out.

"We'll probably have steady construction going on for a year and a half," he said.

The growth study, completed by Shelby Stewman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor of demography and sociology, accounted for housing developments, birth rates and other factors to project growth patterns through 2015.

The study did not predict significant growth in the middle school or three elementary buildings over the next three to five years.

Even before the growth study, the high school began showing signs of growing pains, including having cramped offices, using modular classrooms and temporarily moving the weight room to part of the cafeteria.

Dr. DiSanti said the renovation project not only would accommodate growth, but also would modernize facilities built largely in the 1960s; make operations more energy-efficient; make the school more aesthetically pleasing; and attract families to the district, thereby raising home values and contributing to the tax base.

Dr. DiSanti said school facilities would be open to the community, when possible.

In 1999, West Allegheny spent nearly $20 million on high school renovations to accommodate growing enrollment and modernize facilities. The project included a new gym, a refurbished lobby, classroom and locker additions, a new music suite and media center, and a stadium grandstand.

"We always knew we were growing and we'd eventually have to do [more renovations]," school board President John Scott said. "We're continually growing, is the problem."

Mr. Scott said the board was trying to get the most for taxpayer money by expanding and improving current facilities, which is much cheaper than building a new high school.

"We're constantly looking at all the options . . . and debating different scenarios," he said. "We don't want to burden future generations, either logistically or financially."

The current plan has been under discussion about three years, he said.

The district makes yearly debt payments on 13 total bond issues, including the new one, which is underwritten by Mellon Financial Corp. and marketed at public auction to buyers who accept the least amount of interest.

Mr. Wessel said the district's total annual debt payments probably will rise slightly in the early years of the new 20-year bond issue, but the payments will be structured so the district pays about the same amount each year. This way, the property tax rate, currently at 21.5 mills, doesn't "see-saw," he said.

Allegheny County property assessments, state funding and many other factors could lead to higher taxes eventually, he said.