School Board Approves Phase I Renovation Project
Students and staff at Herbert Hoover Elementary School, Carl Sandburg Middle School and Albert Schweitzer Elementary School can look forward to major repairs and upgrades to their schools by the time they return to school next fall.
By a unanimous vote of 9-0, the Neshaminy School Board approved Phase 1 of the Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA) program after a presentation by the project contractor,
Reynolds Energy Services, at a special meeting Monday evening. That meeting followed the regular School Board re-organization meeting, at which Board President Scott Congdon and Vice-President Irene Boyle were both re-appointed to their posts by board nominations and voting.
Richard Evans, left, and Damion Spahr from Reynolds Energy Services, Inc.
speak before the Board and public during a presentation Monday evening.
The work at the three schools will begin as soon as students leave for the summer in June, 2015. and will be completed before the teachers return to prepare their classrooms for the 2015-2016 school year in August. Reynolds has guaranteed their work will not disrupt classes, and in addition has guaranteed the cost of Phase I, $20,894,217, will be the final cost to the district regardless of any changes or problems encountered during the summer.
The project is contingent on a $50 million bond issue which will fund this and other projects. The board will be considering this bond over the next two months, with the goal of taking advantage of extremely favorable rates currently available.
This current approval of Phase I will allow Reynolds to begin lining up contractors and ordering supplies to ensure the project is ready to begin as soon as the school year ends in June. Should the financing fail or be delayed for any reason, the district will only be liable for work completed by Reynolds up to this point.
The upgrades at the schools include the following:
- New energy-efficient double-paned windows to replace single-pane windows. The new windows will also reduce outside noise from entering classrooms.
- New, air fixtures to improve air flow, provide more fresh air to classrooms, improve filtration, and operate with much less noise in the classrooms. The fixtures will be standardized with others in the district to improve maintenance efficiency.
- Air conditioning for all three buildings (except gymnasiums)
- Centralized computer-based HVAC management controls to increase efficiency and improve management
- Replacement of pipes and other fixtures that are nearing the end of their useful life
- New energy-efficient boiler for Schweitzer ES
- Upgrade electrical systems on the supply side and add more outlets to classrooms
- Upgrade plumbing and add modern low-flow toilet fixtures
- Add security vestibules to improve visibility and control of access by the office staff
- Roof repairs as needed
- Improve fire alarm systems to meet modern codes and improve notification with extra detectors, audio and strobe alarms.
- Improve exterior lighting by upgrading fixtures to LED bulbs
For more information on these improvements and financial information,
view the on-screen presentation from Reynolds that was presented at the meeting Monday.
Phase II of the project will include Poquessing Middle School and Ferderbar Elementary School. Phase III would include Miller Elementary School and Maple Point Middle School.
School Board Approves Phase II Renovation Project
School Board Approves Phase III Renovation Project
This portion of the GESA work was approved at the March 28, 2017, meeting of the Board of School Directors. Work will take place over the summer of 2017.
Richard Evans, left, and Damion Spahr from Reynolds Energy Services, Inc.speak before the Board and public during a presentation Monday evening.The work at the three schools will begin as soon as students leave for the summer in June, 2015. and will be completed before the teachers return to prepare their classrooms for the 2015-2016 school year in August. Reynolds has guaranteed their work will not disrupt classes, and in addition has guaranteed the cost of Phase I, $20,894,217, will be the final cost to the district regardless of any changes or problems encountered during the summer.The project is contingent on a $50 million bond issue which will fund this and other projects. The board will be considering this bond over the next two months, with the goal of taking advantage of extremely favorable rates currently available.This current approval of Phase I will allow Reynolds to begin lining up contractors and ordering supplies to ensure the project is ready to begin as soon as the school year ends in June. Should the financing fail or be delayed for any reason, the district will only be liable for work completed by Reynolds up to this point.The upgrades at the schools include the following: