Abington board hears design update, schedule for new middle school on existing site

Abington School District trustees on Jan. 27 received a detailed design and schedule update for the Millersville middle school replacement project and were told the project remains on budget and on schedule.

Phil Solomon of ICS, joined by Doug Taylor (ICS) and Dan D’Amico of the Schrader Group, told the board the district selected “option 2” — replacing the existing middle school on the current site — through a referendum and two years of public engagement. "Option 2, replacing the existing middle school with a new middle school on the existing site was the best value for the community," Solomon said, describing survey work and community input that led to the decision.

The team said schematic design work began in July 2025 and now sits at roughly 30% completion. Designers reported nearly 1,800 survey responses used to refine design principles, and detailed due diligence including ground‑penetrating radar, geotechnical probes and an ongoing traffic study. Doug Taylor said those studies informed floor plans and site plans and helped identify where rock removal, infiltration testing and site balancing are needed.

Schrader Group project manager Dan D’Amico showed the site constraints that define the buildable zone and said the new building will largely sit over the existing tennis courts and track to preserve playing fields around the perimeter. "We end up with that red shaded area ... where we have enough room to build the new middle school building," D’Amico said, noting setbacks to neighboring lots and the need to relocate some athletic facilities.

Designers described programmatic goals: a three‑story building with distinct "learning houses," a centralized cafeteria and library, dedicated spaces for STEM, performing arts and athletics, outdoor learning courtyards, and circulation plans to handle about 2,000 students. The team emphasized separating parent drop‑off and bus loops to reduce congestion on Highland and Susquehanna avenues; the traffic study will guide final circulation decisions.

On schedule, presenters said the permitting and approval phase must ramp up in March 2026 with a planning‑commission sketch review in February and a formal land‑development submission in March. The NPDES/conservation‑district review — the team called it "the most lengthy approval" — is expected to take 9–10 months if submitted on schedule. Bidding and mobilization are planned around March 2027, with construction completion targeted for June 2029 and remaining site work and demolition continuing into 2030.

Board members asked about survey response levels and schedule risk; presenters said response rates were comparable to prior work and reiterated that the project remains aligned with the board’s timeline. When residents called during public comment, Joe Rooney pressed the district to address immediate deficiencies in the current middle school — "the bathrooms … the roof needs to be replaced right now" — and asked what will be done for students during the multi‑year project. Dr. Fetcher replied the district will continue building maintenance and has provisions to address accessibility concerns while students remain in the existing building.

Next steps: planning commission sketch review in Feb. 2026, formal land‑development submission in March, NPDES application in March (to start the conservation‑district review), continued design development through April 2026, and bidding/permitting work aimed at mobilization in early 2027.