Design phase on 3 North Allegheny elementary schools, senior high Phase 1 to start in Dec.

A detailed presentation on renovations at Hosack, Ingomar and Peebles elementary schools, as well as Phase One of North Allegheny Senior High School, was presented to the school board at its working meeting Sept. 10.

The design phase is proposed for December. The estimated costs of the four projects, which are preliminary, could have a subtotal of $63.6 million.

The whole process has been ongoing for the past several years, with the last presentation in January. These are the first steps in a more defined plan.

“We are still at the schematic concept stage of this process. We are at the 30,000-foot view, but we’re ready to start looking a little closer to ground,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said.

This falls in line with the fourth goal of the district’s strategic and comprehensive plan, “Facilities for the Future,” which focuses on maintenance and grounds that create future-ready learning spaces and dedication to excellence in academics, arts, athletics and activities, according to Hyland.

Schematic designs, cost estimates and a timeline were presented for the four schools alongside an exploration of future renovation plans for the intermediate high school.

“We’re working to refine scopes that were already there and weed out the others,” said Brandon Chabola, facilities director for the district.

Weber Murphy Fox, the architecture and design firm, teamed with construction manager SiteLogIQ, as well as district administration and professional staff, to work on the renovation planning.

Each elementary school on the list has similar renovation needs, according to Dick Fox, principal of Weber Murphy Fox, which has offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas.

The needs include site circulation improvements, such as parent drop-off and pickup and more parking, Fox said, adding all three will have administrative additions and a reconfigured building layout.

“The world has changed since those elementary schools were built,” he said.

Plans include modest additions of meeting rooms and reorganization of spaces, including new dedicated rooms for band and orchestra. The three elementary schools also will receive infrastructure upgrades, finishing work and some level of playground upgrades.

Restrooms in the schools will be upgraded and refinished with more of a high-privacy sort of design, “reflecting the day we live in,” Fox said.

Plans also will address the unique needs of each of the elementary schools.

Plans for high schools

At the senior high school, proposed upgrades include renovations to the auditorium, including an orchestra pit that can be raised and lowered, and additional large group instruction rooms. Plans will address major mechanical systems for the long-term health of the building.

There also will be reconfigurations of lockers and restrooms, including a new public restroom by the auditorium.

Several options were provided for the natatorium, including a new 10-lane pool, with the current pool adjacent, more decking space, team and visiting locker rooms and more.

The total costs of renovations at Hosack, Ingomar and Peebles and phase one of the high school is projected to be $63.6 million, which includes the high school’s projected cost of between $27.7 million and $30 million.

Plans for the North Allegheny Intermediate High School also were presented, which is more complicated and “a lot to dig into,” Fox said.

Several renovation options were presented for the intermediate facility, which include some or all in-filling of courtyards; cafeteria, administration and auxiliary gym additions; and other possible add-ons.

Mike Arnold, construction manager at SiteLogIQ, said a construction project timeline is necessary to move forward and can be affected by economic impacts and other factors. The timing of the bidding also is important to get the best bid results possible, he said.

“We do a lot of work during summer months so we minimize that educational disruption,” Arnold said.

Bids going out soon

The request for bids will go out in November and December for the three elementary schools and the senior high. The design phase will then begin in December, according to a timeline presented at the meeting.

Board members will be involved throughout the process, including with interviews for an architect, engineers and construction managers in October and November. Board approval for the selected professional services will be sought at the board’s Nov. 12 meeting.

Everything will go through a review before going out for construction bids, Chabola said.

Next year will be mostly reserved for design, bidding and permitting for these projects.

Construction and procurement is proposed to take place in all of 2027 and through the summer of 2028 for the three elementary schools and senior high, with an expected construction close-out by fall 2028, according to the presentation.

The intermediate school is a “more complicated project,” Arnold said. “It’s going to need a little more time.”

Construction there would take place in the spring of 2028, with an expected close-out by 2030, according to the proposed timeline.

The timeline can evolve as the district and board analyze schematic designs and come up with other solutions, Arnold said.

The team also identified how students would be disrupted. Typically, there is a one-year impact for students in the schools being renovated. The 2032-33 graduating classes would potentially have two years impacted.

Tax increases likely

Kermit Houser, director of finance at North Allegheny, took some time to address the financing of the two higher-cost options of renovations at the intermediate school — $180 million and $240 million.

The $180 million project option for the intermediate school may include one tax increase to cover the debt portion of the operating budget. The other $240 renovation option potentially would require two tax increases.

School Director Michael Weniger questioned what taxes would be raised if the district went forward with either of the options versus not doing any building additions at all.

With new debt for these renovations, there could be five tax increases over the next eight to 10 years, Houser said.

Under normal operations, without incurring any new debt over the next 10 years, it likely would require about three to four tax increases, he said.

Any combination of renovations would require taking on debt and, thus, probable tax increases, Houser said, noting the amount of debt would depend on the renovation option selected.

This doesn’t rule out any tax increases needed for normal operational costs, and external factors could influence the district’s finances, including at the municipal, county and state levels.

Overall, new debt is coming at a favorable time.

“We’re dropping off on our current debt schedule. We’re actually coming up on 40-year lows when it comes to our debt ratios,” Houser said.

Without some of these projects, the operational costs to maintain and update outdated buildings and infrastructure would increase, according to Chabola.

Chabola said those costs would rise about 3% to 4% each year.

Hyland thanked the board members for putting in the extra time to understand the renovation phases.

“We’ve been planning for this for a long time as our debt service has reduced,” said Richard McClure, a school director. “We are in a very unique situation where we can keep NA really NA and keep up the high standard. And these projects can do that.”

The presentation is available on the district’s website at northallegheny.org.