West Perry board reconsiders capital project after higher Fidevia cost estimates; seeks structural review

The West Perry School District Board of School Directors on Jan. 12 said it is re-evaluating a planned capital improvement project after new cost estimates provided by construction representative Fidevia came in substantially higher than earlier figures.

Mrs. Stover, presenting the project update, said the updated figures “are high enough that the Board is reconsidering all of our options regarding the district’s capital project.” She told the board the district is pursuing detailed replacement-cost estimates for two wastewater treatment facilities and will bring in a structural engineer to assess what action is needed for a bowing foundational wall at Blain Elementary.

The board also heard that PennDOT is reviewing a traffic-scope application the district submitted before the holidays, under the assumption the project would continue as previously planned. Mrs. Stover and district staff emphasized the district is working within a finite budget and cannot assume grant awards as part of the project baseline: “we cannot build ‘grant money’ into our project budget, which is why the grants are not a part of the conversation at this point,” she said.

District leaders framed the steps as due diligence rather than a project cancellation. The immediate actions are to obtain more precise replacement-cost reports for the identified wastewater facilities and to secure a structural-engineering assessment for Blain. Board members and staff noted the need to reduce operational costs to preserve fiscal flexibility while evaluating options.

The board did not vote on a specific course of action at the Jan. 12 meeting; Mrs. Stover said the district will apply for applicable grants when it is ready to move forward but will not rely on grant funding in the project budget. The district directed staff to proceed with the replacement-cost estimates and to report findings to the board when available.