Cornwall-Lebanon board previews $12.6 million campus access, field and maintenance plan; architects to be hired for planning

Administrators for the Cornwall‑Lebanon School District on Feb. 2 presented a proposal to add a new access road from State Drive to Lincoln Avenue, expand parking, relocate and consolidate maintenance facilities by the warehouse, and build a multipurpose field north of the stadium with lights, seating and concession/restroom access. Doctor Dimencic said the package of site improvements, including stormwater management work and some paving, is a priority to relieve recurring traffic congestion during large events and to improve emergency access.

The district provided a preliminary total estimate of $12,600,000 for the suite of projects. Dimencic said the district has discussed components of the plan with the township and that certain roadway improvements — turning lanes, curbing and widening to East Evergreen — would fall to the district as part of the access connection. He told board members that if there is general consensus the administration will begin the planning process and ask the board in March to approve a contract with architects and engineers (Beers & Hoffman and the district’s construction managers) to prepare bid documents.

Board members questioned whether a traffic signal would be needed, how additional parking would be managed around existing softball fields and whether curbing would prevent informal pull‑offs along Lincoln Avenue. Dimencic said the plan anticipates turning lanes rather than a new signal and that township permitting requirements will likely require curbing and other controls. He added that parts of the tract behind the middle school would be converted to a parking lot, and a smaller lot near Lincoln Avenue would serve users closer to the multipurpose field.

If the board directs the administration to proceed, Dimencic said the district could finalize conceptual plans, secure engineering input, and have contract documents ready for a September–October bid if the board approves the architect retainer in March. He framed doing nothing as an option with costs: “doing nothing will also have costs because at some point we will need to make very, very significant repairs to the facility, which will cost millions of dollars with no net improvements,” the superintendent said.

Next steps: administration will contact the listed architecture firms, begin initial planning meetings with Fadavia and Beers & Hoffman, and present an agreement for board consideration at the March meeting.