East Penn board reviews $95 million schematic designs for K–8 realignment; budget details due June 9

The East Penn School District on Monday presented schematic designs for a K–8 realignment that would convert Iyer and Lower Macungie Middle School into a 5–6 and a 7–8 campus and add classroom and athletic capacity. The district and Breslin Architects described building additions, phasing and an estimated combined project cost of roughly $95 million; the board was told detailed financing and a refined budget will be presented at the June 9 meeting.

District officials said the schematic phase defines building size, location and program needs ahead of design development. “The schematic design really represents the initial phase setting out the general requirements of the project relative to scope and budget and priorities,” said Steve Behrens, principal at Breslin Architects. He said the team reduced early program totals through benchmarking and by finding efficiencies in existing building space, producing current schematic footprints of about 208,000 gross square feet at Iyer and 253,000 at Lower Macungie with additions of roughly 91,000 and 91,000 square feet respectively.

Why it matters: the changes will shift fifth grade out of elementary schools, create dedicated house-administration suites and add core program spaces the district said are needed for the new grade structure. The project also affects site circulation, parking and stormwater; district staff said traffic and stormwater studies and township coordination are already underway and may require off-site improvements.

Design and schedule details: Brian Huber, project architect at Breslin, walked the board through exterior concepts and site layouts, showing a planned classroom wing and an athletic volume at Lower Macungie and a classroom addition and interior renovations at Iyer. Dr. William Campbell, superintendent, said the district will start land-development and permitting work in the next phase and that construction will be phased so each building can remain operational during work. The district intends the realignment to be in place for the 2028–29 school year.

Board concerns and discussion: board members pressed for more detail on safety, traffic and stormwater. “There’s layered security starting at the driveway and moving in,” Behrens said, adding that glazing, sight lines and secure vestibules will be addressed in design development. Board member Doctor Leonard Whitney asked for clarification on athletic fields, noting the plan included multiple exterior fields and a second gym at Lower Macungie; district staff said duplication aims to preserve the number of middle-school teams and reduce scheduling conflicts, given limitations such as an intention not to add field lights. Board members also asked whether tariffs, contingencies and stormwater requirements were reflected in the estimate; the architects said contingencies are included and those topics will be discussed in greater detail at the next budget presentation.

Next steps and budget: Breslin and the district presented a high-level cost summary that grouped building hard costs and soft costs, and included design, bidding and phasing contingencies. The preliminary estimated construction cost shown to the board was about $95 million for both projects combined, plus roughly $20 million of other capital-plan work that would follow over the district’s capital cycle. Dr. Campbell said CHA (the district’s construction manager) will provide further cost validation and that a more detailed financial plan will be presented on June 9.

What’s next: the board will receive design-development documents and a refined budget next month; traffic and stormwater studies and township reviews are ongoing and may change site scope. Board members said they expect continued public updates as the district refines phasing and cost items.

The schematic presentation was information-only; no board action was taken Monday.