Board approves Hayes Design scope; middle school phase‑1 work scoped at $4.3M with $1.9M grant match

Plum Borough School District board members on Jan. 14 reviewed a phased plan to repair and upgrade Plum Middle School and approved a design contract for construction documents and construction administration with Hayes Design Group.

Randy Hunter, project architect with Hayes Design Group, described a Phase 1 package of roughly 10 prioritized items intended for summer 2025 work. The list includes courtyard basement waterproofing outside the cafeteria/kitchen, replacement of exterior doors and windows (except the front entry), HVAC control upgrades for much of the building, several equipment replacements, and relocating a rooftop dust collector to ground level. Hunter said the district could not complete every recommended item at once and that the architect team had selected items based on schedule, lead times and the scope of an environmental repair grant awarded to the district.

Costs and grant funding: Hunter presented the financial estimate for Phase 1: schematic hard costs of about $3.4 million, plus escalation and soft costs that bring the project total to roughly $4.3 million. The district reported an awarded environmental repair grant of about $1.9 million that is a 50/50 match; district officials said the grant reduces the net cost to the district to about $2.3–$2.4 million, with remaining funding expected to come from the bond proceeds the board previously approved.

“About half is being paid for through grants,” Superintendent Doctor Boyers said, citing the environmental repair grant while describing a stepped, fiscally conservative approach that prioritizes instructional space over aesthetics. Hunter added that many of the Phase 1 items can be procured through cooperative purchasing or state contracts and that the larger roofing and multi‑trade repairs would be publicly bid.

Board discussion: Board members debated priorities and timing for additional work. Some members pressed for a fuller, community‑facing project plan and a clearer cost comparison between cosmetic façade improvements and more functional upgrades such as a turf field. Several board members urged transparency: “Let’s get the cost out. Let’s be transparent, and let’s build it out,” one member said. Administrators said they would post design documents and schedules to a construction website and continue weekly meetings with HDG to firm up estimates and schedules.

Contract approval and delivery method: The board voted to approve the Hayes Design Group scope and fee proposal for Plum Middle School; during the meeting staff noted that HDG agreed to credit prior study fees from a 2022 report if the board moves forward with project work. Hunter described delivery methods: many items would use cooperative purchasing/state contract vendors for more control; the courtyard/basement waterproofing would be publicly bid as a general construction package. The schedule shown to the board anticipated final design and bidding by April so work could begin as soon as school ends in May.

Votes and administrative notes: Members expressed concern about phasing and communicated the need to publish a clear timeline for the community. Administrators said that some Phase 1 HVAC control work might extend into the fall with limited classroom disruption and that Phase 2 items would be considered for summer 2026 after further design and funding decisions. The board approved the Hayes Design contract and gave staff direction to proceed with the Phase 1 plan described in the presentation.