Easton Area SD board hears schematic-design update for new high school; PlanCon A/B review scheduled for September

Consultants for the Easton Area School District presented a schematic-design and value-engineering update on the district's new high school project and told the board the district will present PlanCon A and B and ask for schematic-design approval at the September voting meeting.

The design and construction team outlined the value-engineering (VE) process that produced more than 200 items for review and described the next steps through design development. "We had over 200 items that we we looked at, which was a a great discussion about what how we can maximize value for our project," said Mike DePogman, who identified himself as with CHA, the construction management team working with the design team.

The presentation showed that the VE review categorized items by priority and feasibility (0–3 ranking). The consultants said items ranked 3 were already accepted; items ranked 2 require more cost information before a decision, and items ranked 0–1 were deemed inappropriate for the project at this time. DePogman told the board the next phases will produce costed worksheets for the higher-priority VE items, and the district expects a formal schematic-design budget update at next month's meeting followed by 60% design-development documents and a subsequent budget update later in the year.

Why it matters: The project remains subject to phasing decisions, cost refinement and statutory review under Pennsylvania's Act 34/PlanCon process. District officials said completing PlanCon A and B now keeps the project ready for reimbursement if state funding becomes available in the future, even though the district does not expect state reimbursement for the current project cycle.

PlanCon and Act 34 process

Bill, a member of the design team who spoke about PlanCon, said PlanCon A documents the project's educational justification and enrollment projections; PlanCon B is used to review schematic drawings with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). "There is no Plancon reimbursement. So you may wonder why are we going through this process. And while there is no reimbursement, there still is the Act 34 law," Ms. Piazza said during discussion to clarify the process for the board and public. The team will present PlanCon A and B to the board in September and hold an Act 34 hearing tied to the 60% design-development submission.

Phasing, athletic fields and field house

The consultants reviewed a phasing concept that moves construction generally from one end of the site to the other and identified a critical connection between the new main entrance wing and the existing gymnasium. They also presented a site master plan showing relocation of varsity baseball and softball, two turf fields and a new grass field on the Kunkle Tract, plus ancillary amenities such as dugouts, bullpens and a possible field house.

When a board member asked about a previously discussed 25,000-square-foot field house, the consultants said the building is part of the master plan and would provide locker rooms, an open athletic space and temporary swing space while the existing gymnasium is demolished early in construction. "So the field house will provide locker rooms and open, athletic space, but it's also gonna be used as a swing space when we have to take down the, gymnasium early in the construction," a district presenter said. Board members pressed on what amenities (for example, weight rooms or training spaces) would be included and how the items affect cost and phasing; consultants said specific amenity decisions would follow additional VE and budget analysis.

Schedule and next steps

District staff and the design team said they will convene the ad hoc VE committee on the 19th (5–7 p.m. in this room) to review costed VE items and continue refinement, and that schematic-design approval and PlanCon A/B would come to the full board at the September voting meeting. "We are going to meet next week on the nineteenth. We are going to take a break from ad hoc committee in September, but you will present at our standing committee so that they, the board has the opportunity to hear about plan con a and b and vote on that on, the voting meeting in September," Ms. Piazza said.

The consultants also noted that completing PlanCon now preserves the district's position should state funding be restored in the future; they cited precedent where districts that completed PlanCon before a funding pause later applied and received reimbursement.

Ending

Consultants said the project will move from schematic design into design development after the VE items are resolved and that the next significant public budget update would accompany the 60% design-development documents and PlanCon D/Act 34 hearing later in the design schedule. The board did not take formal votes on the schematic design at the meeting; members scheduled further review and the September voting agenda for PlanCon A and B.