Hatboro-Horsham board hears $5.6 million summer capital plan, plans Simmons pool decommissioning

Hatboro-Horsham School District officials on Oct. 13 presented a recommended $5.6 million package of summer 2026 capital projects that prioritizes HVAC, roofing and safety repairs at the district's older buildings and includes a $2.1 million plan to decommission the pool at Simmons Elementary.

The recommendation came during the Facilities Committee portion of the board's Oct. 13 work session, when Joe Crow, the district's director of operations, reviewed completed 2025 work and outlined the projects proposed for next summer.

Crow said the district completed multiple major items over the past year, including replacing an aging generator with a new exterior-mounted 250 kW unit and upgrades to HVAC systems, floors and signage. "The upgraded system significantly enhances our emergency power capacity," Crow said of the generator replacement, noting the new unit supports critical IT functions and heating during outages.

Bill Stone, the district's director of business affairs, summarized the recommended 2026 program and the funding plan. He told the board the overall recommended budget for the summer maintenance slate is $5,600,000 and that most projects would be paid from the district's capital reserve fund. He said the Simmons pool decommissioning is funded differently: "When the board borrowed the last amount of money for this project, it included $2,100,000 to decommission the pool at Simmons," Stone said, adding that those funds come from the Keith Valley project account and are not from the capital reserve fund. He noted the district has three years to spend those proceeds to comply with IRS rules.

Key proposed 2026 projects described by staff include: - Additional unit ventilator replacements at Blair Mill Elementary (8 units), and continued targeted floor replacement at Blair Mill, Simmons and the high school. - Foundation investigation at the high school in response to visible cracked walls (investigation only; repair costs not included). - Phased partial roof replacement at the high school, continuing the district standard of EPDM rubber on flat sections. - Continuation of the building automation system (BAS) replacement at the high school, migrating from an older Siemens control platform to an open-protocol Distek system. - Full-depth tennis court replacement at the high school to address ongoing drainage issues. - Purchase of five liquefied-propane school buses (the district currently operates a fleet of about 45 vehicles and has been replacing diesel buses with propane units). - Several safety and accessibility projects including a new elevator at Simmons (completion anticipated for the 2026 school year) and ADA-related bleacher repairs at Steinle Stadium.

Stone and Crow said many projects target the district's oldest buildings (Blair Mill, 1968; Simmons, 1972; high school, 1991). Stone told the board staff have prioritized safety-first work and that completed critical items from the facility study have reduced the number of urgent projects this year.

Board members asked project-specific questions during the presentation. A student board member asked what the BAS upgrade would mean for students; Crow answered that the upgrade includes new controllers and software to more precisely regulate space temperature and humidity, improving classroom comfort. The panel also discussed a prior electric-bus feasibility study; staff said the current service from the local utility (PECO) at the bus garage is inadequate for electric-bus charging without significant new infrastructure.

The presentation described the Simmons pool work as decommissioning: removal of pool equipment, draining and leveling the pool floor, and removal of locker-room fixtures to create a blank space for future redesign. Stone said that decommissioning funds are available from prior borrowing tied to the Keith Valley project and will not be taken from the capital reserve fund.

The Facilities Committee presentation acknowledged ongoing work that will overlap with next summer's slate and emphasized lead times for contractors and a condensed window for summer work as schools close and reopen. Staff repeatedly framed the recommended list as additions to, not replacements of, long-term facility planning guided by the district's facility study.

The meeting record shows no formal board vote on the recommended package during the Oct. 13 work session; staff sought the board's review and planned timing for bringing recommendations forward for action at a later board meeting.