Hempfield SD unveils $211 million hybrid plan to rebuild high school; phased work to begin summer 2026

Hempfield School District administrators on an evening community forum laid out a multi-year plan to rebuild and renovate Hempfield High School using a hybrid approach that pairs a large new addition with targeted renovation of the existing Buchanan wing. Superintendent Mike Bromirski opened the meeting and said the district is pursuing a path the board approved after multiple feasibility studies and public meetings.

"I'm Mike Bromirski, superintendent here at Hempfield, and it's an absolute privilege to be able to welcome you to our second community forum on this topic," Bromirski said, framing the presentation as an update on the district's master facility planning.

Principal Bill Broshman told attendees the high school's mechanical, plumbing and HVAC systems are largely original to prior renovations and increasingly difficult to maintain. "Nothing has been done to Hempfield High School," Broshman said, describing classrooms and systems that no longer meet modern needs and saying parts are hard to find for aging equipment.

Why a hybrid plan? Board and buildings-and-grounds leaders presented three options that were studied: full renovation (estimated in the meeting at about $131,000,000), an all-new building (cited as high as $255,000,000 in board discussion) and a middle, hybrid option that pairs a substantial new addition with renovation of part of the existing campus. Charles Maris, chair of the building and grounds committee, said the hybrid option offered the best long-term value and a longer useful life.

"The hybrid will last us approximately 75 years," Maris said, and the board projected the hybrid option would spread capital costs over decades while keeping annualized costs lower than the shorter-life renovation alternative.

Project scope and campus impacts outlined by the administration include: building a large new addition adjacent to the Buchanan wing, removing the older Franklin wing later in the sequence, relocating the varsity baseball and field-hockey fields, constructing a new band parking lot and shifting the maintenance and chiller plant. KCBA Architects described roughly 200,000 square feet of renovation and about 300,000 square feet of new construction in the program; the design includes a new competition gym, updated lab and tech-ed spaces, a relocated cafeteria with a secure courtyard and a single identifiable main entrance to improve security and circulation.

Administration gave a project schedule that staggers work to limit disruption. Officials said they expect to finish construction documents and submit land-development materials to townships, aiming for reviews and approvals in early 2026; bidding and awards would follow in spring; and, if all proceeds as planned, the district would break ground June 1, 2026. The new addition is scheduled to be complete by August 2028, with the overall project finishing through 2030–31. The district emphasized a phased approach so students "always have access to two of three parts of the building" and generally should not need trailers during most phases.

On financing, the administration said the district has been building capital reserves and has about $67,000,000 set aside. The district has completed prior smaller borrowings to prepare for the project and intends to borrow in rounds rather than one lump sum; the next projected borrowing round cited at the forum was roughly $76,000,000. Officials explained the district's AA2 bond rating helps secure favorable interest rates and that borrowing terms could be spread over 20–25 years.

Tax impact: board members and staff said the project would require a dedicated millage increase for debt service (the presentation cited approximately 1.77% dedicated to the project within current Act 1 adjusted indexing) and that the district's current adjusted Act 1 cap for the coming budget year was 4.1%. Presenters said the tax increase for the project would be limited in duration — they repeatedly described a window of roughly five to six years when taxpayers would carry the increased debt-servicing costs before the levy dedicated to the project could be reduced.

During the public Q&A, officials said the new roofs would be "solar ready" (designed to support panels and wiring) but that solar arrays themselves are not included in the current project scope because available grant funding is limited. On safety and security, KCBA and safety advisers described design features such as a secure, single-point main entrance, improved sightlines, intruder-resistant glazing and robust camera coverage aimed at simplifying building lockdown procedures.

The district also described its selection process for KCBA and other consultants as RFP/RFQ-based with multiple rounds of interviews and finalist site visits. Administrators said cost estimates from FIDavia (the construction manager) were expected within roughly two weeks of the forum and would be reviewed publicly at upcoming committee meetings, with a combined review set for an Nov. 20 committee meeting and an Act 34 hearing scheduled for Jan. 14.

What comes next: Bryomirski and staff said final cost estimates and stormwater/structural details will be reconciled in coming weeks; if the bids and permitting align with budget projections, the district will proceed to award contracts and begin the phased construction sequence. Officials urged attendees to review renderings online at hempfieldsd.org and to participate in the Nov. 20 and Jan. 14 public hearings when the district will present final cost numbers and seek the necessary approvals.

The forum closed with district staff and board members taking community questions in person and via collected QR-code submissions.