William Penn SD committee reports $1.9M winning bid for middle school roof, flags state grant-match question

Jan Tong, property committee chair, opened the William Penn School District Property Committee meeting and turned the agenda to Mr. Dean, who said the district accepted a $1.9 million bid from Winchester Roofing for the middle school roof replacement.

Mr. Dean said the project had been pursued as a grant-funded effort last year and the district’s original planning estimate was $4.4 million. "The accepted bid that we received from Winchester Roofing was at $1.9 million," Mr. Dean said, noting the solicitor reviewed the submission and the district has issued an intent letter to the firm pending final approval at the next board hearing.

Committee members pressed procurement details. Miss Hoff asked how many bids were received; Mr. Matthews said five firms showed interest but two bids arrived late, leaving three responsive bids ranging from $1.9 million to about $2.7 million. Mr. Dean said he expects to present a detailed schedule and timeline at the next meeting.

The district reported a $2.0 million DCED grant toward the project. Mr. Callahan asked whether the state grant includes a matching requirement tied to the original $4.4 million project total; Mr. Dean said the grant language does not indicate the match is based on the original total and that he will discuss the issue with the state before finalizing the budget.

On safety, Mr. Dean said the school safety team will meet with staff before students return and will oversee the first set of fire drills so that any changes to egress patterns are tested and verified.

Next steps: the solicitor cleared the bid for compliance, an intent letter has been issued to Winchester Roofing, and the committee will seek final approval at the next board hearing. Mr. Dean said he will confirm the state’s view on any match requirement and provide a detailed project schedule at an upcoming meeting.