LH directors advance Marshall school addition
The Laurel Highlands School Board took its first steps this week toward building a four-classroom addition at George C. Marshall Elementary School and also began exploring whether the now-closed Kennedy Elementary School can be sold. Directors voted to add four rooms to Marshall, with an estimated cost of $735,420, according to information from Jeanine Russell, architect for Michael S. Molnar Associates. An addition to Marshall and a renovation to Hutchinson Elementary School were proposed when the decision to close Kennedy was advanced.
The district had asked the board to begin the Marshall project earlier this year, but not enough directors would support the plan. Russell said the rooms could be available by the start of the next school year if the board solicits bids in January and awards contracts in February.
“You’re looking at a seven-month project, depending on the winter,” she said.
The work at Marshall is not eligible for reimbursement from the state Department of Education (PDE) because it is not a complete renovation of the school. The board already approved a $7.5 million bond issue to pay for the addition at Marshall and the renovation to Hutchinson.
Directors voted 6-2 for the extra rooms at Marshall, with Cathy Rice and Angelo Giachetti voting no. Shirley Kefover was absent. The board voted to hire Molnar as the architect for the Marshall addition at a fee not to exceed 5 percent of total building costs, and hired K2 Engineering as project manager at a fee not to exceed 2 percent of the total building costs.
The board was unanimous in its vote for K2, while Rice and Giachetti voted against hiring Molnar.
In regards to the Hutchinson project, Russell said early PlanCon (planning and construction) documents required by PDE have been reviewed and asked the board to schedule an Act 34 hearing next month for the project.
Act 34 hearings are required by school districts to explain to the public what work is entailed and the maximum construction cost of any renovation.
The board voted to solicit quotes for the demolition of two homes near the school that the board recently purchased to improve access to the school, and voted to solicit bids to widen the access road to the school. Both Giachetti and Mary Conway voted against the motion.
Russell presented the board with updated drawings for Hutchinson, which includes additional parking and separate bus and parent drop-off points for students. She noted that the state asked for more access to the back of the school for emergency vehicles. That request will be included in updated plans.
“There will be a nice, wide road to keep traffic moving and the canopy will be demolished,” she said, noting that the two-story addition will be placed on the side of the school and the renovated building will include a larger, reconfigured administrative area.
The renovation will take two summers to complete, she said.
Meanwhile, the board voted to solicit proposals from realtors to handle the sale of Kennedy, which closed Aug. 31. The board has been divided about what to do with the building now that the district is operating four elementary schools, but board President Edward S. George stressed that the action was only to solicit proposals for realtors and not to proceed with a sale.
Last month, George voted against a motion to solicit realtors, saying he was not convinced that selling the building was the best route to take. Only Giachetti voted against the motion this time.