Board votes to start school bidding

August 09, 2006|by JENNIFER FITCH

WAYNESBORO, PA. - Contractors for $40 million in renovations and additions to Waynesboro Area Senior High School are set to be selected in October in part due to the school board's willingness Tuesday to proceed with bidding the project.

The board's architect, EI Associates of Harrisburg, Pa., is submitting land-development plans to the county and borough, said Joshua Bower, who represents the firm. The project includes construction of a new auditorium and gymnasium and converting the existing auditorium into a cafeteria. It also creates a ninth-grade academy block of classrooms, extends Third Street and establishes a separate entrance for after-hours events.

"What's remarkable about these plans is that we can separate the evening activities from the classrooms," Bower said. That feature addressed security concerns about people accessing the entire building, he said.

The plans also have two options to add classrooms if funding permits. The first would install a floor on the upper level of the existing gym to provide for eight classrooms and the second would add three classrooms above the existing stage, according to Bower.

Mark Barnhardt, vice president of EI Associates, encouraged the board to accept bids within 30 days of the mid-October deadline for their submittal. The board also might want to talk to contractors about purchasing their materials early in the process, he said.

The cost of some supplies, like copper wiring, is changing almost daily, Barnhardt said.

"Anything with petroleum products is very volatile, especially paving," he said. "We're going to do everything possible to keep the project within your budget."

Construction is supposed to start in November, with completion in December 2008.

The motion to proceed with bidding passed 6-1, with Leland Lemley opposed. In favor were Anna Bostwick-Foley, K. Marilyn Smith, Michael Shea, Larry Glenn, John Fitz and Stanley Barkdoll. Board Members Todd Rock and Chris Devers were absent.

Shea was sworn in as a new board member earlier in the meeting.

The board also learned that preliminary data shows the school district could be placed on the Pennsylvania Department of Education's warning list for not fulfilling adequate yearly progress requirements set forth by the federal No Child Left Behind initiative. The concerns focus on the dropout rate for the Class of 2005, Assistant Superintendent Gloria Pugliano said.

The final state report is expected Aug. 31, she said.

"We've already examined the Class of 2006 data, and it's much more positive," Superintendent Barry Dallara said. Some data is being appealed, he said.

The dropout rate is affected by cyber charter schools and home-schooling students, Pugliano said. She said high school writing and elementary school reading scores have been excellent on standardized testing.

Schools in "warning" status are not subject to consequences. Those that do not meet their adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years are subject to school choice for students, according to the state Education Department.

Corrective action ensues when the adequate yearly progress is not met for four years in a row.

How they voted

Anna Bostwick-Foley, K. Marilyn Smith, Michael Shea, Larry Glenn, John Fitz and Stanley Barkdoll, in favor

Leland Lemley, opposed

Todd Rock and Chris Devers, absent

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