Designers and district officials gave the Upper Dublin School District Finance Committee a schematic‑design update Oct. 15 on plans to replace Jarrettown Elementary School with a new two‑story building and committed to a $60 million budget cap.

Tim Geider of construction manager ICS said the team completed a comprehensive study last year of renovation and new‑build options and that the board in June approved initiating design for a new, approximately 84,000‑square‑foot facility. "The total budget of the project, dollars 60,000,000. We set that budget and we don't intend on moving off of that budget," Geider told the committee.

Architect Jamie Bortz of Alloy 5 presented the current concept site plan: a central community bar housing the gym, cafeteria and library, with two classroom wings for K–2 and 3–5 students. The plan separates bus and parent drop‑off loops, keeps two distinct play areas for younger and older students, and relocates outdoor athletic fields to the lower portion of the site. Designers said they are exploring whether part of the existing library could be preserved as a pavilion.

Doug Taylor, the project director, reviewed site constraints, including setback lines and wooded buffers the team plans to preserve. He said the team is conducting boundary and geotechnical surveys and a traffic study, and that an informal sketch will be submitted to the township this month for staff review. "We want to make sure that neighbors have a chance to hear about the project and ask questions before we have a formal meeting," Taylor said.

Committee members pressed for details on phasing, circulation and accessibility. Board member Jenna asked whether students would remain in the existing building during construction; designers confirmed that the district intends to keep the school occupied until the new building is ready and then demolish the old structure. Jamie Bortz said the two‑story plan addresses long hallway travel distances by adding multiple communicating stairs, an elevator near the nurse's suite and a gently sloped corridor that can act as a ramp for younger students.

The team outlined a multi‑stage budget and approval sequence. Geider said schematic design should wrap up by the end of the month, with an updated construction cost estimate in early December. Design development would follow, with construction documents targeted for August 2026 and bidding planned for late 2026 if approvals proceed on schedule.

Taylor added that the zoning review to date suggests the project will not require a variance, which would allow the team to proceed through the township land‑development process without a separate zoning application. The district plans a neighbor meeting in November and a formal sketch submission and public township review in November and December, respectively.

The committee did not take a final vote on design elements at the Oct. 15 meeting. Designers and district staff said they will return with updated schematic drawings and an early construction cost update at the finance committee's December meeting.