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Upper Dublin receives six options, wide cost range for Jarrettown (Germantown) elementary modernization
Summary
Architects and planners presented six conceptual options ranging from targeted renovations to full rebuilds for Jarrettown Elementary (referred to as Germantown in materials), with price estimates from roughly $18.7 million to $70 million and timelines that could extend into the 2029–30 school year depending on option selected.
At the May 13, 2025 Upper Dublin School District Finance Committee meeting, ICS architects presented revised concepts and cost ranges for a long-planned modernization of Jarrettown Elementary School (referred to in earlier materials as Germantown/Jarret Town). The district described the building as one of the oldest in the system and in need of major updates.
ICS project manager Tim Bridal and colleagues Phil Solomon and Cody West reviewed six options that campus stakeholders and the community helped shape. The options range from targeted mechanical and systems renovations that leave existing footprints largely intact (70,000 square feet) to major renovations and full new-construction replacements that add between 14,000 and 24,000 square feet, bringing some concepts to about 84,000–94,100 square feet.
Estimated construction budgets ranged widely: renovation-only options were presented at approximately $18.7 million to $35 million; an 84,000-square-foot major renovation option was estimated at $50–55 million; complete new-construction options for an 84,000-square-foot building were estimated at $58–62 million; and the largest programs that add instructional space and larger common areas were presented in ranges up to $65–70 million.
ICS described typical scheduling assumptions: schematic through construction documents in roughly 12 months, permitting and bidding 3–6 months, and construction and closeout 20–30 months. Under that framework, targeted renovations could finish earliest (potentially before the 2028–29 school year), while major additions and some renovation-addition combinations would likely complete in 2029 and new construction could be ready for 2029–30 depending on phasing and selected approach.
Committee members and residents asked about zoning and site impacts, including whether parcel consolidation or tree removal would be required and whether new layouts could preserve existing wooded areas. ICS said a preliminary zoning analysis completed in December flagged that two parcels would likely need consolidation but did not identify other required variances; they said site fitting and tree preservation can be revisited in schematic design and that footprint/footprint height trade-offs (including two-story configurations) would be examined during design.
ICS reported next steps: staff and administration will refine the recommendation over the coming month, with a planned recommendation back to the Finance Committee on June 18 and a Board vote to select an option and authorize schematic design on June 23, 2025. No design authorization was granted at the May 13 meeting.
