CHA reports construction, permitting progress and phased schedule for North Penn High School

Consultants from CHA updated the North Penn Facilities and Operations Committee on April 28 about progress on the North Penn High School renovation and addition, saying permitting, early procurement and phasing are advancing and that the project remains on the budget baseline discussed in July 2024.

Michael Lynch, a CHA representative, told the committee the team has resubmitted land-development materials for the planning commission and expects planning and supervisor reviews to continue through the late spring and early summer. He said the team has cleared many zoning concerns, coordinated with PECO on electrical and gas procurement and reached an agreement with the North Penn Water Authority to convey water lines on district property to the district to allow necessary modifications.

Lynch said both phase-1 and phase-2 NPDES permit applications have been submitted; phase 1 has received conservation-district approval and phase 2 is awaiting an administrative-completeness letter. He described the NPDES technical review as a longer lead item and said a technical review could extend through August or September.

On schedule and phasing, Lynch said phase 1 work — including the K Pod natatorium and related site items — will begin field work in late May and that some K Pod external work and the front-lot paving are being deferred to later phases to avoid premature replacement and potential rework. He said procurement for early long-lead electrical components is underway to gain bidding advantages for later packages.

Phase 2 will include the A, B, C, D and E pods and will be prepared as multiple bid packages; the transportation building is being priced through a Gordian state contract and is expected to be awarded in late summer, dependent on NPDES permitting and site clearance. Lynch said the team is coordinating abatement work tied to renovation phases and intends to split abatement into two bids so the district can apply lessons learned from phase 2 to later work.

Lynch described a proposed Phase 4 site contract to perform remaining front-lot paving, full-depth replacement where needed and stormwater remediation. The proposal is intended to eliminate a general-contractor markup by going directly to larger site contractors late in the project and to allow scope adjustments near the completion date.

On budget, Lynch said the project remains aligned with the budget presented in July 2024 and that the team has parsed the overall cost by phase — K Pod and natatorium (~$31 million based on bids received), transportation building, phase 2, phase 3 (the remainder of the building, including auditorium, gym and central plant) and an end-of-project site work contract. He said that further budget detail will be provided at a May presentation to the full board and the community.

Committee members asked about J Pod (the circular building) and abatement scope. Lynch said J Pod’s structural complexities caused the design team to favor reconstruction rather than a costly renovation, and said abatement will be performed earliest in renovation zones and in a way designed to protect occupied areas during school operations.

Lynch and the CHA team also reviewed plans to demo several obsolete AM radio towers that the board approved earlier in the month and noted that design for a single replacement tower is underway so the district’s radio service can continue.

The presentation included maps, phasing diagrams and a slide breaking the budget into per-phase estimates; Lynch said the team will present expanded detail at the district’s May meeting for board and community review.