Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the K12 Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Abington School District unveils designs and schedule for new Abington Middle School, answers community questions
Summary
School leaders and project consultants presented schematic designs for a new Abington Middle School, a projected construction start in early 2027 pending permits, and answered questions about taxes, student safety during construction, athletic‑field impacts and sustainability.
Superintendent Jeff Fecher opened the public presentation by telling attendees the district was continuing “our commitment to ensuring that the process for the Abington Middle School project is community‑driven,” and directed residents to the project microsite 1asd1future.org and a QR code for submitting questions.
Design professionals from Schrader Group Architecture and ICS walked through a campus plan that places a new middle‑school building where the current football field, cinder track and tennis courts sit today and keeps the existing middle school open for students while construction proceeds. Selby New Matuwalo, the project architect, said site constraints — a 300‑foot township setback, a riparian buffer and the need to maintain the existing school in operation during construction — defined a narrow buildable area and shaped the layout.
The proposed plan separates bus and parent drop‑offs, with the parent queue designed to hold about 103 vehicles and dedicated bus loops for roughly 44 buses. The building program calls for roughly 2,200 student capacity arranged in three academic stories (one grade per floor) divided into 12 team houses, multiple cafeterias that can seat a full grade, a 750‑seat auditorium and an athletic complex with synthetic‑turf fields and eight tennis courts.
Doug Taylor of ICS outlined the schedule: schematic design work completed in late 2025, construction documents through September 2026, and permitting steps with the township timed so the district aims to begin construction in January–February 2027. Taylor said the district expects to occupy the new building in June 2029, then demolish the old middle school and complete the parking and final field reconstruction by about fall 2030.
On financing, Ms. DeNicola said the first tax increase tied to the project will appear in the 2026–27 budget and that tax increases will be phased as the district borrows; she said the district cannot exceed the $285 million approved by voters and that contingency and value‑engineering measures are being used to manage cost risk. As an estimated benchmark, officials said a 2026–27 tax‑year impact would be roughly $16 per month and that the district is targeting about $54 per month overall while the debt is outstanding; they said the tax impact would be rolled back when the debt is paid.
Panels addressed community concerns in a lengthy Q&A. On student safety during construction, district staff said students will remain in the existing middle school on the campus, active construction zones will be fenced and circulation for emergency vehicles will be preserved. Officials acknowledged some fields will be used for contractor staging and temporary parking; the band will lose the current football field during construction but staff said they are coordinating alternate practice and performance locations with the township and will preserve at least a kept area for band use during construction.
Designers said the project is being made “solar ready” — roof and electrical spaces will be sized to accept photovoltaic equipment later — though geothermal wells are unlikely because the site is too tight. The team also described life‑cycle cost analyses that will inform choices about major systems and sustainable features such as daylight harvesting, glare control and higher‑performance finishes.
Officials said the district had not yet applied for project grants but will pursue state and other funding opportunities as they arise. On athletics, project leaders said no field lighting is part of the current scope; conduit and pull boxes could be provided for future board consideration but lighting would require a separate decision.
Next steps: the district will continue permitting steps (zoning hearing board, planning commission, conservation district) and post updated cost estimates and contingency details on the project FAQ page. Officials encouraged residents to continue submitting questions through the microsite and said the board will present renderings at an upcoming board meeting in May.
“Education for our students who are in this building is just as important as what will be in the future,” a district official said in closing, reiterating a commitment to maintain safe learning conditions during construction.
