Carlisle Area SD architects unveil $98M middle school plan; Act 34 hearing set for Nov. 13

Architects for Carlisle Area School District presented plans and cost estimates Tuesday for a proposed new middle school sited between the existing Wilson Intermediate School and the Turnpike and said the board will need to approve holding an Act 34 public hearing next week.

The architects said the full, all-inclusive project estimate for the middle school is $98,000,000, including a $61,000,000 building construction cost, roughly $7,500,000 for site work and about $2,500,000 for a roundabout on Wagner's Gap Road. The presentation also identified a separate “maximum building construction cost” for the Act 34 process of $76,500,000; that number is used in state review and affects post-bid procedures, the presenters said.

Why this matters: The proposed site and circulation changes will affect the district campus, adjacent municipal roads and walking access for students. The architects and traffic consultant argued the campus changes are intended to separate bus and parent traffic, increase parking and reduce vehicle conflicts; PennDOT approval will be necessary for major changes to Wagner's Gap Road.

Site plan and circulation

Justin Doty, civil engineer with Crabtree Robon Associates, described the selected site (the three athletic fields between Wilson and the Turnpike) and the building orientation: the main entrance will face east, with a dedicated bus drop-off separated from parent drop-off and a longer parent loop to allow queuing and off-street waiting. Doty said parking would exceed North Middleton Township's standard after feedback about parking availability at the existing middle school.

"Bus drop off is entirely separate," Doty said, describing the plan to keep pedestrian routes distinct from bus circulation.

Traffic and roundabouts

Jared Veil, traffic engineer with Traffic Planning and Design, recommended rebalancing campus traffic and proposed two roundabouts: one on Wagner's Gap Road where it intersects the campus access and one internal to the campus spine to reduce internal left-turn conflicts. Veil cited industry results, saying a roundabout can yield a roughly 75 percent reduction in injury crashes and a 30–40 percent reduction in pedestrian injuries compared with a conventional signalized intersection; he also said roundabouts can provide about 30 percent more peak capacity than a similarly sized signal.

Veil noted the PennDOT permitting process requires a scoping meeting, a traffic study and then design/permitting and that PennDOT typically asks that roundabouts be considered before signals. He and the architects said the district and project team will pursue scoping and traffic study work with PennDOT and the borough. The team also proposed pedestrian connections and a shared-use trail to integrate with borough projects.

Costs and Act 34 process

Grace Hyland, senior project manager at Crabtree Robon Associates, presented the district's cost breakdown. She said the immediate subtotal for building, site and the Turner/roundabout elements was about $81,500,000 and that including soft costs, contingencies and furnishings yields the $98,000,000 all-inclusive figure.

The presenters explained the Act 34 process required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for major school construction: the district must present a public Act 34 hearing with a detailed booklet, produce a maximum building construction cost (the Act 34 number cited at the meeting was $76,500,000) and publish notice and a comment period. The planners said the board will act at its next regular meeting to approve holding the Act 34 hearing and issuing the public booklet.

Timing and approvals

The design team said it intends to submit documents and proceed toward bidding early next year. They described a multi-year schedule that aims to open the new middle school for students by 2028, while PennDOT work (the Wagner's Gap roundabout) would follow a separate permitting and construction timeline and may be built while the school construction is underway.

Public and board questions

Board members and residents raised questions about timelines, PennDOT willingness to permit a roundabout, the effect on athletic fields and costs of significant earthwork. The architects said site stormwater management and berming with vegetation along the Turnpike are included in the site work estimate. Several board members and residents expressed support for the roundabout concept for safety but noted concerns about athletics field relocation, noise, and construction costs.

What the board will decide next

Presenters and the superintendent said the next formal board action will be a resolution at the board's regular meeting to approve holding the Act 34 hearing and issuing the hearing booklet and public notice. The team intends to present financing options and a more detailed cost breakout at that hearing.