Upper Dublin design team outlines Jarrett Town school schedule, Act 34 process; building expected by 2029

Design consultants for the Jarrett Town school project gave the Upper Dublin School District Finance Committee a progress update on Feb. 18, describing next steps in permitting, bidding and site work.

The design lead said the team held four community meetings in January, has advanced interior classroom and MEP planning and is preparing land-development documents for a March 2026 preliminary submission to the township planning commission. The presentation noted no zoning variances are required under the current plan, so the project will not appear before the township zoning hearing board at this time.

"We will submit that to the planning commission come March for an April meeting," a consultant said, and added that the team has incorporated planning and community feedback into the next submittal.

A second presenter described the Act 34 process — the state-mandated public hearing for new construction — and said the district will present project details and financing in a transparent public session with opportunities for written questions before and after the hearing.

The design team also reported preliminary geotechnical results. "We do know that from a building perspective where the building is proposed to be located, there is minimal rock that will interfere with our project," the presenter said, while noting rock was found around 3.5 feet below the planned pad in areas and additional probes will be completed so contractors have accurate subsurface information included in the bid documents.

Stormwater testing produced areas suitable for infiltration and areas where a retention basin will be required; the team said it will submit MPDES/NPDES stormwater calculations to Montgomery County and continue back-and-forth reviews with PennDOT on any required roadway improvements tied to the traffic study. The traffic study is expected to be completed this month and shared with the district.

Bidding is expected to be a public, multiple-prime process with a tentative advertisement target in October; the team said the schedule currently allows for building completion in June 2029 if permit and bidding milestones are met.

The committee pressed for details about traffic counting methods and whether winter weather could delay construction. The design team answered that traffic counts capture vehicles, buses and queuing at site driveways and that typical weather delays would be measured in days or weeks rather than months; the team also described steps contractors must complete before heavy construction begins. The board sought clarity on whether the district's transportation facility would be placed on Jarrett Town property; a board member said there are no plans to site the transportation facility there.