Gateway School Board hires firm to manage renovation project at Gateway Middle School

The Gateway School Board voted Jan. 19 to hire a firm for $869,000 to manage its construction project at the Gateway Middle School.

The move to hire Zelionople-based Foreman Programs and Construction Managers Inc. represents the latest step toward renovating Gateway Middle School to accomodate more students.

The plan is to close Moss Side Middle School and house fifth- through eighth-grade students in the renovated Gateway Middle building.

The district initially wanted to sell Gateway Middle as a commercial property and use the proceeds to tear down Moss Side and build an entirely new school in its place. Those plans fell through when the district failed to rezone and sell the property.

The new plan began rolling when the board decided to float a bond worth up to $40 million in March. The bulk of that money – $30 million – would be used to renovate Gateway Middle School. The remaining money would be used for other capital projects within the district.

Since then, the board has hired a geotechnical firm, Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc., and an architectural firm, Axis Architecture.

Most recently, the board heard from Axis when the firm presented its plans for the revamped middle school, which includes construction costs of up to $31 million.

The money, financed through the floating of a bond, will buy nearly 122,000 square feet of renovated space and around 58,000 square feet of new space. The drawings include “four fingers” – separate wings that jut out on the property to house classrooms with outdoor courtyards between them.

The district submitted a request for proposals to five construction management firms, according to the board’s Jan. 19 meeting agenda. Two of the firms declined the work because they were not able to take on the job. Of the three others, Foreman provided the lowest bid.

According to that bid, the $869,000 will buy the services of three people during the project’s four phases – a project manager, a site manager and an administrative assistant. Those phases include pre-construction, bidding, construction and closeout and occupancy operations.

The company’s proposal indicated the phases, in total, would amount to around 25 months.

A construction date has not yet been determined. Board member Mary Beth Cirucci, however, has said construction could start in May.

Board member Rick McIntyre said there is much to do before construction can begin, including the approval of the renovation’s final design and cost, bidding out the work and securing the funds through a bond. And when that happens, Moss Side will need to close – which means going through a public hearing process with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Paul Schott, the district’s business manager, said once the district moves forward with awarding a bid for the construction project, the board will move forward with issuing bonds.

Schott has said the project will lead to a property tax hike.

But, in the long run, the district will save money on energy costs and other costly maintenance on the decades-old buildings, Facilities Director Bob Brown has said.