Seneca Valley approves bids for nine-figure renovation
JACKSON TWP — After months of deliberation and public controversy, Seneca Valley’s school board has approved bids for the physical construction costs of its intermediate high school and performing arts center project.
The school board voted 8-1 at its Monday, Nov. 10, meeting to approve a number of bids that amount to just under $118 million in brick-and-mortar spending for the project.
Members Eric DiTullio, Leslie Bredl, Nick Brower, Susan Harrison, Tim Hester, Fred Peterson, Jeff Widdowson and Kari Zimmer all voted in favor of the project. Mike Jacobs was the lone vote against the project.
The approval comes a week after school district officials opened and read aloud bids it had received at a gathering that barred media access and was open only to bidders and district residents.
At the school board’s work session meeting Nov. 3, DiTullio had said the board was not yet ready to “render a decision” on the bids it had received. Seven days later, the board has voted to move forward with the project.
“We will still not have the highest debt-to-revenue ratio in the county, and we are the largest district in the county. We’re the second largest district in the WPIAL. We are going to see growth. As I’ve mentioned many times, we’ll see through 2032, 6,000 new homes, at least, built,” DiTullio said.
The entire project includes 200,000 square feet of learning space, including a three-story classroom wing with 44 classrooms; 12 science labs and a biotechnology lab. The project also features expanded arts and special education facilities and renovated common areas.
The school board chose between five “packages” of bids that ranged from $111 million to $118 million. The board went with “option five,” the most expensive.
At Monday’s meeting, board members expressed support for the project, saying it was needed due to projected growth of the school district. They believe the new building is needed to accommodate an influx of future students.
“The current intermediate high school has 35 classrooms with an average square footage of 760 per classroom,” Bredl said. “The proposed intermediate high school has 44 classrooms with a square footage per room of 932.”
Board members also said they believe the district is in a strong enough position financially it can take on the project at this time.
Jacobs, the only no vote, said while he supports the project, he does not believe now is the time to spend such a large amount of money.
“While I believe this is the right project, I also believe that any of these five options, with the need to address our operational spending, puts too great of a strain on our budget and will put us in a budget deficit over the course of this project,” he said.
The district initially revealed the project and its nine-figure cost at the school board’s Monday, Aug. 4, work session. At that meeting, the board unanimously approved moving forward with receiving proposals and holding an Act 34 public hearing.
The district approved its maximum spending limits on the project at an August school board meeting. The building construction cost limit under Act 34 is $114.65 million. Though the total of the base bids come in below that limit, the bids came with proposed “alternates” that the district accepted, increasing the final price tag by several millions.
Meanwhile, the limit for the entire project, including costs after the fact, is $165.89 million.
Since it was first revealed and put to a hearing and bidding, the project proposal has caused a reaction from district residents both opposed and in favor, leading to social media battles, petitions and public comment speakers at every meeting through Monday night.
