Frazier board members hear architects’ presentations
PERRYOPOLIS – Five Frazier School Board members received presentations from three architects Tuesday, two of them local, in conjunction with an $8.7 million renovation project to Central and Perry Elementary Schools. Representatives from Altman and Altman and Michael S. Molnar Associates, both of Uniontown, and N. John Cunzolo Associates Inc. of Pittsburgh provided cost estimates for the project expected to get under way this summer.
Attending the meeting were board members John H. Lowery III, Kathy Burkholder, David Simmons, John Sterdis and John Keffer.
The project will be subsidized by refinancing a $7,140,000 bond issue from 1992 that produced roughly $300,000 in up-front savings. The board committed to the project in February.
A feasibility study of the project was conducted in 1998 by Hayes Large Architects and is in need of being updated again.
Altman and Altman made an initial presentation to the board in 2000, when possible renovations to both elementary schools were first discussed.
According to Mark Altman, the firm has more than 30 years of experience and has either renovated or designed half of the schools in Fayette County as well as 85 percent of the schools in Garrett County, Md.
Altman said over the years the firm has been involved with projects ranging from elementary and high schools to the biomedical technology center at Penn State Fayette Campus.
“We’ve done some leading and cutting-edge things,” said Altman.
Altman’s most recent projects include renovations to Franklin Elementary School in the Uniontown School District and Laurel Highlands Middle School.
When renovating a school, Altman said his firm focuses on separating bus traffic from other traffic in addition to making it safer by locking the main entrance so that no one can enter the building without first checking in at the office.
If he were hired by the board to renovate both buildings, Altman quoted a charge of about $85 per square foot while change orders reflect a two percent range. As far as new construction costs, Altman said he generally charges a 7 percent fee based on a $2.5 million project.
In a separate presentation, Michael Molnar provided the background of his firm, including the most recent projects he has been involved with.
In the last five years, Molnar said he has designed 2,500 apartment complexes for various housing projects in three counties. Molnar said he was hired by the Albert Gallatin School District six years ago for a $42 million districtwide renovation project and most recently by the Brownsville Area School District.
Unlike his colleagues, Molnar said either he or a representative from the firm supervises the project’s construction phase on a daily basis.
Although Molnar or the other architects have not conducted a walk-through of Central or Perry, he said from the outside the buildings appear to be in “good shape.” Molnar’s estimated figure to renovate both schools came in between $50 to $62 per square foot.
As a relatively small firm, Cunzolo said his firm works primarily with school districts while he has done some work for colleges and individuals.
From 1995 to 2000, Cunzolo said he was involved in 91 school renovation/construction projects in eight counties across the state.
“You need to be creative and get the biggest bang for the buck and that’s what it comes down to,” Cunzolo said.
When asked by Lowery about change orders, Cunzolo said his have remained consistently low between two and three percent.
Judging from the looks of Central and Perry, Cunzolo gave the board a project fee of 6 3/4 percent or $50 to $80 per square foot. “One of the variables will be the mechanical and electronic systems,” architect David Jaynes said.
“Obviously, the work you need to do here is not driven by a growing population,” Cunzolo said.