What started as a timeline update on Hempfield Area High School’s revitalization ended with a debate over the project’s multimillion-dollar price tag.
Officials with CORE Architects and SitelogIQ attended the district’s school board meeting this week to discuss the project’s continued progress before ground is broken. During the meeting, longtime board director Tony Bompiani again raised questions about the project’s cost after doing so during the vote to consolidate the district’s three middle schools into two.
“People can change their mind on money,” Bompiani said. “We had a project that we were going to go, tops, $110 million. Now we’re at $128 million.”
The plan initially was projected to cost between $97.4 million and $109.9 million, but inflation and planned square-footage expansion ballooned the costs up to $128 million. The project’s actual price tag won’t be determined until bidding begins in June.
Other board members began pushing back against Bompiani’s concerns until board President Paul Ward asked directors to “reel it in.” If they want to discuss the cost, it can be added to a future agenda, he said.
CORE Architects and SitelogIQ officials told the board they want to ensure the project stays on budget and have been conscious of costs throughout the planning process. SitelogIQ Vice President Michael Arnold added that prices haven’t been skyrocketing like they were eight to 12 months ago.
The design development phase of the project is coming to a close, Arnold said. Next, officials will start the construction development phase before bidding begins.
“There’s a lot of things happening at this point,” Arnold said.
Construction is slated to start this summer. If the project were delayed, school schedules and weather likely would push the project’s start date back to summer 2024, CORE Architects and SitelogIQ officials said.
The district intends to add about 100,000 square feet to the high school building, which is about 300,000 square feet.
Bompiani and some community members have expressed concerns about the cost and rationale of adding to the building when enrollment in the district has declined 30% in the past three decades.
Officials say the extra room could spur growth.
“Every district that’s done a new high school or major renovation has seen growth,” CORE Architects principal architect Ryan Pierce said.
