Radnor Township School District trustees on Aug. 26 received an extended update on the Ithan Elementary School replacement project, including schedule changes tied to permitting reviews, an approximately $680,000 escalation tied to moving the bid period, and a board request expected this fall to award a separate contract to remove about 175 trees before construction begins.

District construction manager Damien Spahr of Site Logic told the board the tree work is being proposed “so we can take our trees down during that time when it's allowed without survey,” and that the change is driven by recent Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidance about potential Indiana bat habitat. “We are going to be requesting from the board consideration to award a contract to remove trees prior to the construction sequence, which accommodates the current regulations surrounding the particular habitat for the Indiana bat,” Spahr said.

Why it matters: the board will be asked to authorize an out‑of‑sequence landscape contract in October so crews can remove trees during a season when bat surveys are not required. That work affects bid timing, site readiness and the phasing of construction; district and design staff said taking the trees down earlier should be more cost‑effective than waiting for the normal tree‑removal window and running the risk of survey‑related holds.

Timeline and permit milestones presented: the team said demolition of existing site structures and construction of a temporary playground are ongoing; tree‑removal proposals will be solicited in September with board consideration of an award in October. The team’s current schedule shows tree removal from November through February, a planned board authorization to release bid documents Nov. 18, a bidding window Nov. 24–Jan. 8, land‑development recordation Dec. 17, anticipated permit issuance in early February, and construction start targeted for April 6. The construction team estimated building substantial completion in January 2028 and demolition of the existing building in April–June 2028 so remaining site work can be finished over the summer.

Costs and alternates: the presenters said the project’s construction estimate itself has not changed materially, but moving the bid and construction timing produced a $680,000 escalation allowance that appears in the most recent estimate. “If you look … the numbers look the same until you get down to a cost escalation. There's a cost escalation of $680,000 added into the current cost estimate because we have moved our bid timing, construction timing out because of the permitting impacts,” Spahr told the board. The team walked trustees through a list of standard alternates the district will consider at bid (interior flooring options, roofing systems, cladding materials, electrical conductor materials, site‑work alternates) so administrators can select a package that fits final budget and life‑cycle priorities.

Permitting and schedule risk: civil engineer and permitting lead Steve Behrens said the greatest near‑term challenge remains authority approvals, notably the DEP sewer planning module and the NPDES (stormwater) permit, which have entailed multiple technical review rounds involving county and state reviewers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Behrens said the planning module had advanced after the project team received a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service clearance letter and the team was working toward a planning‑module approval in early September and an NPDES permit in December. The presenters emphasized that if major new comments arise in the next round of reviews they would not take the project to bid until those items are resolved; small clarifications could be handled by addendum.

Neighborhood and phasing concerns: board members pressed for visuals showing where tree removal would occur and suggested staging tree removal where possible to preserve screening for neighbors closest to the houses to be demolished. Site‑work phasing was shown in four main phases: build the new school while the existing building remains; complete selected site work in a mid‑phase to reduce end‑of‑project workload; occupy the new building and then demolish the old building; and finish remaining site work in a final phase so the project is complete for the 2028–29 school year.

Next steps: the administration said it will present a recommendation for a tree‑removal contract in October and a request to release the project to bid in November, subject to the outcome of permit reviews. The board did not take formal action during the Aug. 26 presentation.

Ending: the project team asked trustees to send technical questions through the administration; presenters said they will return with visual maps of the tree removal zones, more detail on alternates, and permit‑review outcomes before the district moves to any contract award or formal bid release.