Abington Heights officials plan alternate bid for middle school gym amid rising bid risk

At its March 19 meeting, the Abington Heights School District board heard public comment and a superintendent briefing about the proposed middle school renovation and how the district plans to manage construction cost and interest‑rate risks.

The discussion matters because rising bid risk and tariffs are affecting the local construction market; district leaders said prioritizing instructional spaces and using an alternate bid for the gym would give the board flexibility if prices climb.

Board member Ms. Karam, reporting for the finance committee, said advisors narrowed financing options this winter from roughly 40 scenarios to six and then down to two or three options the committee will recommend after bids and updated cost information are available. "Our goal at that meeting was to essentially evaluate our interest rate risks," she said, adding the committee postponed a final financing recommendation until after the board reviews project bids in early April.

During public comment, resident Robin Domenico said the district should focus on creating solid classroom team areas rather than building a third gym. "Fix the team areas, put in solid walls," Domenico said. "A third gym is a want by this board. It's not a need."

Superintendent Dr. Schafer responded with a detailed explanation of the district's plan and the reasons for treating the gym as an alternate bid item. He said the district faces what he described as significant bid risk driven by tariffs and a constrained supply chain for some building materials and systems. "When you take a look at the middle school and you take a look at the high school, the enrollment is almost identical," Dr. Schafer said, noting the high school has roughly "17 to 18,000 square feet" allocated for physical education while the middle school has "around 9,500." He said that disparity creates safety and equity concerns and that instructional space remains the highest priority.

Dr. Schafer said architects and construction managers will return to the board and public on April 2 to review bid risk and mitigation options. He described the district's planned approach: bid the core renovations and offer the gym as an alternate bid so contractors can price it separately. "One of the things that we can do to protect ourselves from escalating prices is put elements of the architects...and put the gym on the alternate bid," he said. That approach, he added, preserves the option to add the gym later if pricing allows.

Dr. Schafer also addressed a public question about whether a contract price would be locked. He said tariffs do not apply directly to labor costs and estimated, based on conversations with construction managers and architects, that an effective price impact seen on recent projects has been closer to 10 percent rather than the headline 25 percent tariff figure. "Right now, we're starting to hear numbers...the real number is close to 10 percent," he said, while cautioning that precise impacts will not be known until bid day.

The board did not take a formal vote on the project design or financing at the meeting. Next steps outlined by district staff include a presentation by the architect and construction managers on April 2, bids scheduled to be issued April 14 with the gym listed as an alternate, and a finance committee meeting later in April or early May to refine borrowing recommendations after bids are received.

Funding strategy and the final scope will return to the board for formal action after the additional information is available.