The Chester County School Board started the process of reducing the list of 12 capital projects options at the April 15 work session where budget priorities were also discussed, as well as the community survey results.
Although a vote has not been taken, the consensus among the board members present seems to be leaning toward bond referendum that will encompass replacing Chester High School (and building at a new site,) replacing Lewisville High School (and building on the current site between LHS and Lewisville Elementary) and a new Great Falls High School wing and facility updates.
The construction management firm of Thompson Turner provided the school board members with some conceptual pricings and project scopes for each of the 12 options that were included in the list of capital projects the school district was contemplating.
Ben Thompson with McMillan, Pazdan & Smith (MPS) said the goal was to hear from the school board members as to what gets included inside the improvements at each of the campuses. After that, MPS and Thompson Turner will fine tune the costs and make sure the scope of the projects are correct.
Kimberly Brunson with Thompson Turner added, “Based on our meeting previously, (the Chester County leader’s breakfast) we noticed that there were a lot of questions on what was included, what is not included. So what we did was take each of those line items of the 12 options and we broke it down and what is included and what is not included, so you all can see what that cost is going towards.”
Brunson then went over the 12 options and what was included and excluded in each of the projects.
The board members present at the meeting (board member Sandy Lovern was absent) started to develop a consensus to consider the needs at the three high schools for the possible bond.
The options also included construction of a new Eastern Area High School, which would be a combination school for Great Falls and Lewisville High Schools (at a cost of $117.8 million).
The idea for a high school that would serve these two consolidated attendance areas did not gain much traction with the board members.
“According to the survey, the people in Chester want a new Chester High School, just as the people in Lewisville want a new Lewisville High School, and I can assure you that the idea of consolidation turns people inside out like slugs, and according to the survey, that wasn’t something people wanted to support at all,” said school board member Brenda Fort.
“So I think we need a new Chester High School, I think we need a new Lewisville High School, and since Great Falls is already consolidated with the Middle School, I think the renovations and the wing and the updates (at the high school) are definitely what we need, “ she said.
Bob Roddey commented on the Career Center replacement option.
“I personally think we can get by with the Career Center we have: it does have some plumbing issues and some electrical issues, but we replaced the roof on that building within the last 10 to 12 years. I don’t see the need for a new Career Center at this time. We’ve got bigger fish to fry, and that would be $67 million we can eliminate from the cost of a referendum,” he said.
“It could possibly be a different phase,” Superintendent Dr. Antwon Sutton commented.
Board member Kena Funderburk agreed.
“That’s something I think we should stress: just because something is not included in the referendum, that doesn’t mean that we don't think that it's a need, or that it's not something that can come at a later time, or with capital improvements or with the future growth coming into the county.
“So if a referendum does pass, the more growth that comes in, that's more people that are sharing in helping pay off that bond, all of that, that does help us with future projects.
“I don’t want anyone saying that just because it can’t be done this time, that it can’t be done at all. My opinion is, we can’t kick the can down the road any further. If you look at the survey results, they overwhelmingly show that something needs to be done now,” she said.
She said she supported the replacement of Chester High School on a new site, the replacement of Lewisville High School and the renovations and updates to Great Falls High School.
The concept of locating the new Chester High School on the new site on the land most recently acquired by the school district is not going to be without its controversies, Funderburk acknowledged.
“I know that some of our voters are not going to like Chester High School being proposed on that new site, but I feel like that is what the people of Chester want, and it’s really important to me that e do not let one attendance area determine the life and education and the style of another attendance area.”
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Wendell Sumter reminded the board members that a majority of the respondents to the community survey wanted a new Career Center, “so you might have to explain, like you said, that we will do a phased-in approach: build the high school and then in a later phase, build a new Career Center.”
Board Vice Chair Maggie James said she through including the Career Center as one of the capital projects as well as the high schools would overwhelm the bond referendum process.
Attempting both “would defeat us trying to get the three high schools the way that we want them to be.
“I know there is a need and a want for the Career Center, but we may have to hold off for a couple of years on that,” she said.
Funderburk commented, “With those three high school projects, we’re sitting at $230 million (for the cost). If you look at the survey results, when you hit $225 million, out of all everyone who took it, we're at 63.13% in favor of passing a bond referendum for that…I feel it’s already going to be a tough sell to even get the high schools…and what I’m afraid is if we add the Career Center project, that may cause the high school projects to fail. We need the high schools. The Career Center is optional for our students: the high schools are not optional.”
There was some discussion among board members on whether to include competition gymnasiums and auxiliary gymnasiums at the high schools and some discussion about increasing the size of the theaters in the plans, which would affect the overall costs. This is still to be worked out.
The following were the cost estimates and inclusions/exclusions for the three high school projects:
Replacement Chester High School - New Site $101.2 million
Inclusions:
1 Based upon MPS Conceptual Documents – A101, A102, Site Sketch, and Renderings
2. Approx. 210,000 sq.ft. building; 900 Students
a. General Studies
b. Science Labs
c. Specialty Classrooms {Art. Band, Chorus, & Electives)
d. ROTC
e. Media Center
f. EC Classrooms
g. Cafeteria
h. Competition Gymnasium
i. Auxiliary Gymnasium
j. Wrestling Room
k.Theater (660 seats)
3. Site Development
4. DOT Impacts
5. Abatement/Demolition of Existing Chester High School
Exclusions:
1 All athletics
Replacement Lewisville High School - $106.7 million
Inclusions:
1. Based upon MPS Conceptual Documents - A 100 & AP lOO
2. Approx. 173,000 sq.ft. building; 650 Students
a. General Studies
b. Science Labs
c. Specialty Classrooms (Art, Band, Chorus, & Electives)
d. ROTC
e. Media Center
f. EC Classrooms
g. Cafeteria
h. Competition Gymnasium
i. Theater (420 seats)
3. PHASED - Site Development
4. DOT Impacts
5. Abatement/Demolition of Existing Lewisville High School
6. Athletics:
a. Baseball/Softball with Dugout, Batting Cages, and Press Boxes
b. New Turf Field at existing Football Field and press box renovations
c. New Field House (approx. 3,500 sq.ft.)
d. New tennis courts (4 courts)
Exclusions:
1. Auxiliary Gymnasium
2. Wrestling Room
3. New Football Stadium/Press Box
4. New Track
5. Practice Fields
New Great Falls High School Wing/ Facility Updates - $19.8 million
Inclusions:
1. New Addition (approx. 28,865 sq. ft.)
a. Band/Choral
b. Auxiliary Gymnasium
c. Locker Rooms
d. Weight Room
2. New Addition (approx. 2,000 sq. ft.)
a. Secure Vestibule
3. Site Circulation Improvements (i.e. parking and driveways)
Exclusions:
1. Exterior Athletics
2. ROTC
3. Wrestling Room
4. Competition Gymnasium
5. Additional Middle School Classrooms
***NOTE: If utilizing plans for new Competition Gym (1200 seats), total addition size increases to 36,000 sq. ft. and increases cost to $23.4 million.
The board will continue to examine options at the April 22 board meeting.
