Quaker Valley School Board accepts Leet conditions on proposed high school

Quaker Valley School District officials have cleared another procedural hurdle with the proposed high school project.

The school board unanimously voted at a special meeting Nov. 12 to accept conditions imposed by Leet commissioners on the district’s land development plan.

All five commissioners voted in favor of the proposed 167,000-square-foot school on Oct. 22.

It is planned on district property that straddles Leet Township, Edgeworth and Leetsdale, but the school will be in the township.

Commissioners’ approval came with more than a dozen conditions, including a highway occupancy permit and other approvals from Allegheny County, a developers agreement and stormwater agreements with the township, various state approvals — including those from the Department of Environmental Protection — an agreement with the Leet Township Municipal Authority regarding a sewer system, and ensuring a design engineer would oversee construction efforts.

They also want the district to monitor the stability of the hillside along Camp Meeting Road, and create pedestrian access to the upper section of the site near the Quaker Heights neighborhood.

The township submitted its written decision to the district on Oct. 30.

Pennsylvania Municipal Code required the district to respond and accept the conditions within 15 calendar days, according to district director of facilities and administrative services Charlie Gauthier.

A special meeting was called because that time frame would not stretch to the next scheduled school board meeting on Nov. 19.

School director Gianni Floro said the township’s conditions were thoroughly reviewed and respectable.

“We believe that they are in the best interest of the community,” said Floro, facilities and operations chairman. “They were probably things, with regard to slope stability, that may have been something we would have done anyway. It would be an appropriate thing to ensure that the project is done appropriately.

“One of the things that is really important whenever you’re moving earth is that each particular thing that you do needs to be reviewed after every single day. You put a layer on, you have to check that layer. You move some rocks, you have to check the stability of those rocks. … Just like you’re building a house. If the foundation is not done appropriately, you’re going to have problems in the future. The conditions that Leet township requested were more than reasonable, and I think we were more than pleased with the whole process.”

Floro commended the district’s design and engineering team for their continual efforts in making sure plans comply with all township, state and federal regulations as well as creating a safe state-of-the-art facility for future Quakers.

“That facility should last for over 100 years,” Floro said. “This is a once-in-a-10-generation project. We want to get it right the first time.”

Gauthier said township approval was needed before the district could apply for a lot of third-party approvals, such as DEP permits, Army Corps of Engineers approvals and highway occupancy permits. He anticipates those applications will be sent out within the next week or two.

In the meantime, district officials have had informal conversations with companies as part of a construction manager search.

Formal requests for proposals will be sent out in December with the goal of hiring someone before the summer.

Gauthier said the project remains on schedule for a 2027-28 school year opening.

“I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made,” he said. “We continue to work with everyone on this. We just want to make sure this is a project that everyone feels comfortable with, and the community feels proud about. We continue to address all concerns with this project.”

School district officials set the maximum building construction costs for the proposed high school at about $72.1 million and the maximum project cost at $105 million.

More information about the project is available on the district’s website under the Blueprint QV section of the “District” tab.