The Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District Board voted unanimously on Nov. 20 to approve a phased conceptual‑design contract with KCBA that authorizes an on‑site assessment for the high‑school renovation project. Dr. Johnson told the board the modest $17,500 contract will allow KCBA, together with MEP partner Snyder Associates, to begin assessing existing building systems and documentation as soon as the following day.

Administrators said the phased approach was selected to refine scope and cost estimates before committing to larger capital budgets. Board members who participated in the selection process described KCBA as a firm that listened to stakeholder input and recommended breaking the project into manageable pieces to limit upfront expenditures. The district's construction manager (CHA) is also preparing grant applications to help offset future capital costs.

The board's roll‑call vote recorded unanimous support (8‑0 as stated in the transcript). Trustees emphasized the project will be planned to keep buildings "warm, safe and dry" while minimizing disruption and that community programming workshops will inform priorities, phasing and budget estimates.

Next steps include on‑site assessment by KCBA and Snyder Associates and scheduling programming workshops with students, faculty, parents and community members to help define priorities and phasing. The administration said the on‑site work is critical to determining the size of the capital budget request the board will consider later in the budget process.