West Perry board advances $56 million elementary consolidation into schematic design; amends architect agreement

The West Perry School District Board of School Directors voted March 9 to move a proposed consolidation of the district’s three elementary schools into the schematic design phase and approved an amendment to the district’s Owner-Architect Agreement.

The motion to authorize schematic design for “Option 5,” the consolidated elementary model on the New Bloomfield campus, carried on a roll-call vote of 7 Yes to 2 No. The board separately voted to authorize Amendment No. 02 to the Owner-Architect (AOR) agreement with EI Associates; that authorization also carried 7–2.

Why it matters: Board member Kathy Stover told the board the conceptual design for the consolidation is currently estimated at about $56 million and that the district anticipates roughly $1 million per year in operational savings once the project is complete. Stover also warned of major deferred-maintenance items identified in recent reviews, including two wastewater treatment plants and a compromised basement wall at Blain Elementary; replacement of a wastewater treatment plant was discussed as likely to cost at least about $2.5 million, a preliminary figure.

Acting Superintendent/Business Manager Cory Hoffman described specific changes in Amendment No. 02 that reduce the district’s near-term costs: the architect agreed to a 0% markup on supplemental services (estimated savings of about $70,000), reduced the compensation percentage from 5% to 4.5% (estimated savings of about $222,500), and agreed not to invoice the district for prior conceptual design work done to date. Hoffman said those concessions and the transferability of some programmatic work made the amendment a constructive compromise while preserving schedule requirements.

Public comment and process issues: Multiple residents spoke during the public comment period about the consolidation and the AOR amendment. A member of the public raised a concern under Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Law about the timing of an added agenda item; a separate public commenter flagged a typographical inconsistency in the amendment’s wording that district staff agreed would be corrected before finalization. Hoffman also addressed a public concern by saying his father is not involved in the consolidation project and asked that his father be kept out of the discussion.

Next steps: With schematic design authorized, the district’s architect will prepare schematic design documents and updated cost estimates for subsequent board consideration. Board members and staff emphasized the need to keep the project on schedule to address infrastructure needs in the district. The authorization includes schedule and notification requirements should the architect anticipate delays.