The Seneca Valley school board is considering three firms to conduct a feasibility study to outline capital improvements.
School board members are expected Monday night to select among Eckles Architecture of New Castle, VEBH Architects and Stantec, both of Pittsburgh. The firms attended a public meeting with administrators and school board members last month.
“Of the three, the overall feel of my gut leans toward Stantec,” said board member Jim Nickel at Monday’s caucus meeting.
He was joined by member Reid Moon, who said, “I’m with Mr. Nickel. Stantec seemed to bring a level of interest and excitement.”
Board members have agreed to wait for a recommendation from the administration before making a selection.
Board member Robert Hill said he would prefer a recommendation from Robert Cook, director of buildings and grounds, because Mr. Cook will be working closely with the chosen company.
Mr. Hill said he also was concerned that the fees proposed by Stantec were quite a bit lower than fees from the other two firms. Quotes from the three companies ranged from $48,000 to $125,000.
The feasibility study is one of the first steps in a major overhaul of the district’s buildings.
School board members last Monday also took another step in that process by authorizing a $56 million bond issue.
About $27 million of the loan will be new money to be used in this project and the rest will be used to refinance bond issues from 2005 and 2010, said Lynn Burtner, district business administrator.
“We will be reducing our interest payments and paying off old [bond issues] with higher rates,” she said.
School board members also have on their agenda for Monday the transfer of $7 million from the district’s general fund balance to the capital reserve fund. Ms. Burtner said this would also be used for the proposed capital projects.
Superintendent Tracy Vitale said this funding will take the district only through the next few years of projects.
“We have a long laundry list of capital improvements,” she said.
School officials began looking at a systematic plan for capital improvements last fall when Mr. Cook presented a long-range plan that looked at every building in the district and making the district compliant with Title IX, a mandate that calls for gender equality in education, among other things.
Mr. Cook has said that the district has been working on safety and mechanical needs at the buildings for the last two summers. This summer the district will install artificial turf on the secondary campus for baseball, soccer and softball fields to help extend playing time for pupils.
One of the largest proposed projects is a new elementary and middle school in Evans City in 2018.
Laure Cioffi, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: April 17, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
