Wilson SD gets update on Lincoln Park Elementary design, soil fixes and $28.1M Act 34 building cost

Crabtree Rohrbach & Associates presented updated designs for a new Lincoln Park Elementary School and detailed soil‑mitigation options and costs to the Wilson School District board on Dec. 17, 2024.

The presentation reviewed the site plan for the former Lincoln Park school site, showing a two‑wing classroom layout with one two‑story wing and one one‑story wing; dedicated kindergarten and grade‑specific play areas; an administrative entrance with a secure vestibule; library, music and art spaces; and a multipurpose room combining gym and cafeteria functions. The team said the design emphasizes visibility to the street, neighborhood‑scaled materials and pick‑up/drop‑off circulation from West Wyomissing Court through to Wadsworth Avenue.

The meeting focused on subsurface conditions discovered during geotechnical testing. Consultants reported a consistent stratum of soft soil to roughly 20 feet below grade in much of the proposed building footprint. Consultants presented three mitigation approaches: full excavation and replacement (deemed cost‑prohibitive), rigid inclusions (estimated by one firm at $1.05M–$1.5M) and a two‑part program the district’s second geotechnical firm recommended. The recommended program combines localized over‑excavation and stone backfill below footings and columns with cement soil stabilization under slab‑on‑grade areas. Consultants provided a priced contract for the cement stabilization portion at $138,000 and a ballpark combined order‑of‑magnitude for the two‑part approach of about $700,000; the district is keeping a budgeting allowance of $1.5M for contingency purposes.

Design consultants also reported that on‑site water flows are insufficient to support a fire suppression system without additional infrastructure. The package would require a pump station, pump house and water tank; the presentation estimated about $700,000 for those components. Site grading complications and retaining walls on the Dorchester side increased projected site costs, and the design team said adding a lower level (basement) of roughly 4,000–5,000 square feet for district storage became practical given the need to excavate for soil mitigation.

Taken together — structure, soft costs, escalation and site adjustments — the team put the total project estimate in a range of about $35,038,600 to $38,600,000. For the Pennsylvania Act 34/PlanCon process the team calculated a maximum building construction cost of $28,105,264; that figure excludes site work (pump station, soil mitigation and related site infrastructure), as required by PDE PlanCon rules. The board was told it will be asked to adopt a resolution recording that maximum building construction cost on Jan. 20, 2025; that roll‑call vote will be included with the Act 34 booklet and will start the public hearing/comment timeline that the consultants expect could conclude in March–April 2025 if approvals and permits proceed on schedule.

The team outlined regulatory and permitting steps affecting the timeline: a required individual NPDES permit (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) is in technical review with the Berks County Conservation District (a technical review often lasting roughly 107 working days), and the Spring Township planning commission and board of supervisors have been working with the design team. The zoning hearing board was scheduled to meet Dec. 18, 2024 on district zoning requests; the planning commission and supervisors are expected to issue conditional approval pending receipt of the DEP/NPDES permit.

Board members asked detailed questions about the design changes, the size and use of the basement, the split between the Act 34 maximum building cost and the overall budget, canopy costs for parent drop‑off, and flooring choices. Consultants explained that making a basement classroom‑usable would require an elevator and additional means of egress and that they deliberately sized and sited the basement for storage to take advantage of grade changes. On the delta between the $28.1M maximum building construction cost and the $35M–$38.6M total project estimate, consultants said the PlanCon calculation excludes site costs, permitting fees and certain soft costs; those line items account for the difference.

Action: The board approved a motion to continue Crabtree Rohrbach & Associates into the construction documentation phase for the Lincoln Park project with a contract not to exceed $317,033. The motion was moved by Mr. Ed Case and seconded by Dr. Amy Kennedy; the roll‑call vote recorded nine yes, zero no.

Next steps: consultants said they expect to receive technical NPDES comments in the coming months, to finalize construction documents, and to present the Act 34 booklet and the recommended roll‑call resolution on Jan. 20, 2025. If the district adopts the Act 34 booklet, the public hearing and comment period required under the Act 34/PlanCon process would follow; consultants estimated finalization of that process by March–April 2025, subject to permit timing and township approvals.