Pottsgrove SD presents feasibility study for high-school stadium renovation; board asked to authorize design kickoff

At the Pottsgrove School District Board of Education meeting on Sept. 9, district-hired consultants presented a feasibility study for renovating the high school athletic stadium and asked the board to consider authorizing the design kickoff at the next board meeting.

The presentation, led by Mike Lang of CMTAICS with Bruce Crispin of EI Architects and Mark Singley of K & W Engineers, outlined a concept that includes a turf multipurpose field, resurfacing and reorientation of the track to place straightaways in front of the home bleachers, new home bleachers with enclosed program and storage space underneath, upgraded lighting and scoreboard, improved ADA access, expanded parking where feasible, and stormwater/drainage work. The consultants said the design also anticipates new ticket/concession/security entry points and space for maintenance and storage currently lacking on campus.

The consultants told the board that a construction-only estimate for the most ambitious concept is about $9 million, with professional fees, permits and escalation bringing the preliminary all-in estimate to about $13.6 million. They said the square footage of new program space (their current working number is 12,000 square feet) is the primary driver of cost and will be refined in schematic design. The presentation noted substantial permitting and land‑development work is required; the Montgomery County conservation district process alone typically takes nine to 12 months when more than one acre is disturbed.

On zoning and site constraints, the district’s civil engineering consultant, Mark Singley, said the campus sits in an R-2 residential zoning district where an educational use is considered an existing nonconformity and would require further review or special approvals. He reported the campus’ current impervious coverage is roughly 40 percent while the R-2 maximum is 25 percent, and estimated the township’s parking requirement for the campus’ largest assembly area at roughly 688–690 spaces; the campus currently has about 510 spaces. Singley said the project team has had an early sketch-plan meeting with township officials and that those officials expressed willingness to work with the district.

The presenters outlined a project schedule in which schematic design would begin immediately if the board approves a design kickoff at the next meeting; design development and construction documents would follow, with the team targeting public bidding in 2026 and construction in 2027 if approvals and funding allow. The consultants warned that work on the stadium would likely disrupt use of the field in 2027 and could require away games or alternative sites for athletics and could potentially affect events such as graduation on the field.

Superintendent Dr. Finney reiterated that no final decisions had been made and described the recommendation on the table as seeking authorization to begin the next phase of design and community check-ins. The board did not vote on the full project at the Sept. 9 meeting; presenters asked the board to consider approving the design kickoff at the following board meeting.

The district intends to return with a refined schematic that narrows square footage and cost choices and schedules additional community and committee checkpoints before seeking approval to proceed to construction documents and bidding.