A.G. school board advances building project
GEORGES TWP. – The Albert Gallatin Area School Board voted unanimously to give Michael Molnar Associates authorization to submit paperwork to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s PlanCon (Planning and Construction) division during a special meeting Monday. School District Superintendent Walter Vicinelly said information must be submitted to PlanCon in order to receive reimbursement for a portion of the building finances associated with the A.L. Wilson Elementary School project.
The new school will be constructed on approximately 27 acres in Fairchance. The board held a public meeting at D. Ferd Swaney Elementary School last month and received approval from those who attended.
The board has set the maximum building construction cost at $7,481,950, which would cover the building of the structure in addition to heating and ventilating, plumbing, electrical, fixtures and equipment and architectural and engineering fees for those items. The board also set the maximum project cost not to exceed $9,184,602 for the grading, access roads, site development, sewage disposal, legal fees and architectural and engineering fees for those items and site acquisition.
Jeanine Russell of Molnar Associates said the engineering firm would submit the required information to the education department’s PlanCon today.
“It’s hard to gauge how long it will take before the Department of Education,” she said. “Hopefully, it won’t take more than a couple weeks.”
Russell told the board that everything was progressing well with the A.L. Wilson Elementary School project and said site engineers have already conducted their studies.
She said she expects to have a rendering of the proposed school within the next several weeks.
“We’re in the design element phase of the project and moving forward,” she said.
Sam Denney of Fairchance Construction, the construction manager in charge of the project, also attended Monday’s meeting and said the project is progressing smoothly.
Denney said he is working with Molnar Associates to make sure the project stays within budget.