Quaker Valley School District hosting tours of new high school site

Quaker Valley School District residents will soon be able to get an in-person view of the property where the new Quaker Valley High School will be built.

Members of the district’s staff saw the 150-acre site in Leet on Tuesday morning. Quaker Valley invited 55 residents who live within 500 feet of the property line to the next round of tours on June 23 and 24 to provide feedback on the school’s design.

A large plan mapping out the property is on-site for attendees to see how big the site is.

The district will hold tours for residents in August, according to Angela Conigliaro, director of communications for QVSD.

“A lot of people do not know this site is back here, so this will help them envision the idea for it,” she said.

QV Staff members got a close look at the new high school property today. Looking forward to more tours throughout the summer! pic.twitter.com/VQkvMh031G

— Quaker Valley SD (@quakervalley) June 15, 2021

Charlie Gauthier, director of facilities for QVSD, along with a representative from BSHM and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects will lead the tours. Gauthier said the architects will be seeing the site for the first time.

The Quaker Valley School Board voted unanimously to hire BSHM and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects on June 8.

The site borders Leetsdale and Edgeworth boroughs. The Edgeworth border will not be touched, as it is for recreational use only, Gauthier said.

Once the design of the school is finished, permits will be sent to Leet Township for review and approval.

“For the area we don’t touch, teachers can use it as an opportunity to bring their kids outdoors and have a classroom outside,” he said.

The preliminary plan for the school would use 47 acres for the building. The site already has 10 acres cleared out, but the school wants to leave a lot of landscape as a buffer.

“We want people to know that we are not clearing out everything,” Gauthier said.

Gauthier said the project will cost an estimated $85 million to $95 million, but the total will depend on the base bid (the school, bulk site development and site finishes) and alternate bids of what the district desires, such as extra tennis courts.

The school does not have a definite timeline of when everything will pan out as the project will be an ongoing process.

Gauthier hopes the tours will help change residents’ opinions of the project. The only pushback he has seen about the project is concerns about sewage and floods coming downhill from the property.

“Hopefully when they’re able to see what the space looks like, they will be more comfortable with the project,” he said.