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Mill Creek Board reviews Chestnut Hill Elementary addition, pushes plan back to committee
Summary
School officials presented a modified option to add classroom space, a corridor and exterior upgrades at Chestnut Hill Elementary and described cost increases tied to window and exterior work; the board asked for more design and cost clarification and referred the plan back to Finance & Operations committee for further review.
The Mill Creek Township School District on Monday reviewed a revised plan to add classroom space and renovate Chestnut Hill Elementary, a proposal administrators said is meant to reduce student transportation and create additional special‑education capacity.
Dr. Kavanaugh and district administrators described the administration’s recommendation as a modified version of Option 3 from a November study: new construction would be added (shown in blue on plansets), select interior renovations would be completed (orange) and building‑wide aesthetic upgrades would be done (yellow). The administration said it also proposes a new corridor connecting the addition to the existing cafeteria/gym to improve circulation and safety.
The recommendation preserves several existing classrooms rather than reconfiguring them, and administrators said the design includes space for autistic‑support classrooms and room to add emotional‑support classrooms that currently do not exist at that site. Administrators said Chestnut Hill currently transports many autistic‑support students to other buildings and that the addition aims to keep more students in their home building.
Why it matters: the board heard that the updated proposal raises the project estimate compared with earlier figures shared during the study phase. Administration explained the difference largely reflects adding window and exterior restoration work and a new corridor; presenters described the updated total in the meeting as roughly $27 million compared with earlier estimates near $25 million. Administrators said final costs will be refined during design.
Board questions focused on capacity, playground impacts and scheduling. Members asked whether the addition would encroach on the existing playground; staff said the proposed addition aligns with the blacktop area behind the fifth‑grade wing and that the playground would remain. Board members also asked about classroom sizes and how the addition would affect cafeteria/gym scheduling. Presenters said the design is currently conceptual to confirm square footage and programmatic needs and will be further refined in design.
Next steps: administrators asked the board to allow the project to proceed to committee-level design and cost review so renderings and design documents can be prepared for public review and committee consideration. The board agreed to send the item to the Finance & Operations committee for further review and potential referral to a future vote. The administration encouraged board members and members of the public to direct questions to district staff between meetings.
