Hempfield considers feasibility study to look at high school renovation, rebuild

Members of the Hempfield Area School Board are considering moving forward with a feasibility study that would look into renovating or rebuilding the high school.

Superintendent Tammy Wolicki and district Business Manager Wayne Wismar, who presented the idea to board members this week, said the study would determine what kind of project is possible based on the number and type of projects that may come up at other district buildings.

“We would not want to expend all of our borrowing capacity on a high school project when there will be middle school, elementary needs down the road,” Wismar said. “A feasibility would project when those needs might occur, what the estimated costs might be and consider that in what we might have available for borrowing for a high school project.”

The study, if approved by the board, would take about a year to complete, Wolicki said. It would cost around $200,000.

If the study is completed by January 2022, the board would then move to select an architect for the project design, which could take about 18 months. Projected construction would begin between fall of 2023 and spring of 2024. According to Wismar, a renovation could take between two and three years to complete and a rebuild would take about two years.

Wismar also presented possible projects and costs going into the next few years, including resurfacing the track, which would cost between $350,000 and $460,000; replacing the turf, $450,000; asphalt sealing, $125,000; new curriculum adoption, $750,000 and projector replacements, $500,000.

“There’s some big considerations in the future, but the district has come a long way from when we first shared, or first discussed this, back in (2014-15) and how dire the situation appeared then,” Wismar said. “I think the hard work that’s been done has really paid off.”

According to Wolicki, board members could vote in January on whether to move forward with the project.