Shaler Area School Board considers reduced scope of work for middle school

Building renovations at Shaler Area Middle School have been reduced in cost from more than $20 million to about $8.2 million over the next three years.

While still replacing the school’s entire roof, HVAC work would be limited to replacing two or three of the units in the worst condition instead of providing air conditioning to the entire building. The fire alarm system would be replaced, and the school’s parking lot would be resurfaced.

The scope of work for the school on Mt. Royal Boulevard, also home to the district’s central administration office, was scaled back after the school board earlier this year approved a $102.2 million budget for this school year with no tax increase. It is instead balanced with $2.6 million from the district’s fund balance, which reduces the balance from about $8.4 million to $5.8 million.

Officials had earlier said that a 4.9% tax increase, the highest possible, would have helped pay for work at the middle school as well as covered an increase in debt service costs and the loss of federal covid-related funding.

A bond issue still will be required to pay for the work now contemplated, Superintendent Bryan O’Black said.

The project began with replacing the roof, which is 30 years old and leaking. Installing air conditioning was added along with flooring, ceilings and lighting, and moving part of the office from the middle of the school to the front. Price estimates for the work have ranged between $22 million and $27 million.

As revised and explained to the board by representatives of HHSDR Architects & Engineers, work now would focus on replacing rooftop air handling units for the school’s cafeteria and library, said to be in the worst condition, and associated electrical work.

The district would seek a separate bid for the air handler for the central administration area, which it could choose to go forward with or not based on cost.

The fire alarm system has to be replaced because it is not up to current code requirements.

The roof was installed in 1995 to 1996. Described as being in “terrible” condition, the warranty on it expired a decade ago. Because the rubber membrane of the roof is completely gone, it is impossible to find where leaks are coming from.

Construction costs for the roof replacement, library and cafeteria HVAC, and electrical work including the fire alarm system is estimated at $5.5 million — about $4 million for the roof, $993,000 for HVAC and $406,000 for electrical.

The HVAC and associated electrical work for the central administration would add $455,000.

Related costs including a 10% contingency would add $977,300, for a total of about $6.9 million.

The district has about $1.3 million in grant funds, leaving a difference of about $5.6 million.

For that work, a schedule calls for the school board to approve seeking bids at its Nov. 19 meeting. Bids would be sought in January, with contracts awarded Feb. 18.

Construction would start in June after students are out of the building. The roof would be done in two phases, in the summers of 2026 and 2027, unless the contractor feels they can complete it in one.

The repaving project would follow and be done from June to August of 2028.

Based on bids received in March 2023, the repaving project is expected to cost about $1.3 million. It includes a $55,000 cost escalation to 2028 and a 10% contingency of $129,000.