District receives facilities update; board approves $50,138 playground repaving change order

South Fayette School District officials received an update on multiple facilities projects and approved a $50,138 change order to mill and repave the intermediate school playground.

The update, delivered by Jason Day, a project representative with PJ Deck, covered work at the intermediate (IS) school, the Bridal School pool HVAC renovation, the new primary school design, and a planned bus and maintenance depot across from the main campus. The board voted to approve RA Glancy’s change order for milling, paving and striping of the IS playground; the motion passed after a standard voice vote.

Jason Day said work on the IS additions is “full steam ahead,” describing Phase 1 (Area C) as having structural steel in place, scaffold up and exterior sheathing and masonry scheduled soon, with roofing targeted for early August. He said a new chiller — originally planned for next summer — was set in place this year after First American submitted and procured the equipment, and mechanical and electrical connections are under way so the system can be operational by the start of the school year. “If you’ve walked by, driven by, you can clearly see a lot has happened,” Day said.

Day outlined other site work: foundations poured for a three-story classroom addition (Phase 3), bulk excavation completed for a large addition (Phase 2 Area D) with structural steel targeted for late October/early November, and interior infrastructure upgrades to support chilled piping, domestic water and power for the additions.

On the agenda for action was a change order from RA Glancy to repair and repave an access route across the existing playground that the contractor used to reach Area C. The board approved the contractor’s request to mill and repave the aged playground surface for $50,138. The motion to approve the change order was moved by Jen (board member) and seconded by Rebecca (board member); members voiced aye and the motion carried.

The Bridal School pool HVAC renovation is underway: the boiler, controls package and exhaust fan work are complete or nearly complete, electrical rough-in is finished, and the air handler is scheduled to arrive Aug. 15 with final connections to follow, district staff said. That work could finish shortly after Aug. 20, subject to equipment delivery.

The new primary school design has advanced through design development and preliminary land-development review with South Fayette Township. The project team plans to submit formal land-development and NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) applications on Sept. 8, with a first planning commission hearing currently expected Oct. 23 and a Board of Commissioners hearing on Nov. 12. Construction documents are planned to be complete by the end of the year, and bidding is expected in winter with construction targeted to start in spring 2026. The site plan still shows new tennis courts, a full-size soccer/football field, and multiple support buildings.

For the bus and maintenance depot across from the main campus, the geotechnical report was finalized and initial planning commission review returned only minor comments. The design team reported a planning commission meeting on July 24 (including a township-requested traffic review) and a Board of Supervisors hearing on Aug. 13, with bidding intended for fall and construction spanning 2026 through November 2028, contingent on approvals.

District and design staff noted coordination with township reviewers and utility providers; Gibson Thomas, the township engineer, completed a technical review with minor comments that the design team is addressing. Day and others said they will return with further progress updates and any additional change orders that require board approval.

The board’s vote on the RA Glancy change order was recorded as a motion, second and voice vote; no roll-call tally was read at the meeting.

Less-urgent items discussed in the update included playground programming and landscape design by HRG and further refinements inside the buildings. The district said it will provide staff reports and plans as permit reviews proceed.