Architect says Southeastern Greene buildings in bad shape
MAPLETOWN – The buildings in the Southeastern Greene School District are in bad shape and are in need of renovation, the district’s architect said Wednesday. However, the school district is awaiting more information from the architects before proceeding with any renovation plans, according to Superintendent Dr. Philip Savini.
During a special meeting Wednesday, the school board received a long-awaited feasibility study for the school district’s buildings and grounds from the architects, Hayes Design Group.
Kevin Hayes said the assessment of the existing buildings indicates that Mapletown Junior/Senior High School needs new roofing, floors, interior walls, plumbing and heating and electrical systems. The school was built in 1924, with additions in 1939 and 1961.
“This is going to be a very tough school to renovate, because it is very old,” Hayes said.
According to Hayes, the school also needs additional facilities for a science lab, special needs classrooms and an auditorium.
He said the architects also found the Bobtown Elementary School in similar condition, with overall renovations needed in addition to new classrooms and facilities. The study indicated that the school was built in 1927, with additions to the building in 1961.
The study also covered the current status of the Penn Pitt building, which the district closed, and found it to be the most structurally sound of the three. Hayes said the building – built in 1929, with additions made in 1983 – overall is in good condition, with renovations needed for molding ceilings.
Hayes said that in addition to assessing the current status of the district’s buildings, the study also explored three options for the needed renovations.
The first option would involve complete renovations to the Mapletown and Bobtown schools, at an estimated total cost of $17,375,400. The renovations would entail the complete demolition of the exterior shell of Mapletown and renovations to the airflow system at Bobtown, in addition to all the other needed upgrades.
Hayes said that the option had some problems because all the deficiencies at the two schools cannot be fixed with just renovations.
“The plumbing, heating and electric are nearly at systematic failure,” Hayes said.
According to the study, option two would include the renovation of the high school, with an addition to the building to combine Bobtown Elementary School with Mapletown. The total cost of the option was estimated at $18,251,400.
The third option would be for the district to build an entirely new educational building to house all the district’s students in one kindergarten-through-12th-grade facility. According to Hayes, the district would have to find new ground for the school, as the state would recommend a minimum of 50 acres.
“The state wants you to have sufficient space for future needs…and a buffer between the school and surrounding areas,” Hayes said.
The third option is estimated to cost the district $18,043,000.
According to Hayes, the board could expect $6 to $8 million in reimbursement from the state, and that cost would probably drive up the tax millage rates for the district.
While Hayes said that overall the district is looking at an expansive overhaul, he noted that the project scope is hard to estimate.
“Because of the various factors that influence this project, it is not easy to put it all together,” he said.
Savini said the board would try to “digest” the figures and assessments in the study and get back to Hayes in the next few weeks to discuss the next steps in the process.
“We needed to look at the history of the district structurally before we make decisions on how to develop the future,” he said. “The schools are not in good shape…so we really need to take a hard look at the options in the study.
“We still need more information from the architects before we get into making a final decision,” he added.
Additionally, the study reviewed the handicapped accessibility of the school’s buildings and found the district deficient in many areas. The study found that at Mapletown alone, the entrances to the building are not sufficient, the classroom doorways and restrooms are not handicapped accessible and, due to the eight levels of the school, many floors are not accessible as well. The study recommended widening all doorways and installing at least one elevator in the building.
While no plans are final, Savini said the district would do what was necessary to meet the standards of accessibility.
“People have been patient waiting for something to come from this feasibility study, and now, after we sit down and talk about options, then we’ll decide what we have to do overall, including special needs and access,” he said.
In other business, Savini said that recent bomb threats received at the Bobtown and Mapletown schools have resulted in increased security in the district, but he noted that parents, teachers and children have cooperated and class is still running smoothly.
“Nothing has panned out,” he said. “We implemented our emergency disaster plan and it worked very well. We increased security, and we have the buildings checked early in the morning by police and firefighters, and then we start school,” Savini said.