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Swatara board backs $24.4 million municipal complex plan after months of debate
Summary
After hours of debate and public comment, the Swatara Township Board of Commissioners voted 3–2 to proceed with the lower‑cost municipal complex design (Mann’s/Woodward variant), citing grant deadlines and funding limits; commissioners who opposed asked for additional vendor estimates and public comparisons.
Swatara Township commissioners voted to advance a municipal complex plan estimated by the township’s consulting engineer at about $24,370,515, choosing a smaller Mann’s/Woodward‑derived design over a larger Kimball concept that consultants estimated at roughly $44.5 million. The roll‑call vote was 3–2 in favor.
The decision followed a presentation from the township’s engineering consultant, who said the two remaining options reflected materially different scopes and square footage. "For apples‑to‑apples comparisons we used RSMeans aggregate building construction costs," the Dawood Engineering representative told the board, and then presented the two summary cost estimates the consultant team prepared.
The board’s debate focused on whether earlier public estimates had been comparable, how escalation and soft costs were applied, and the risk of losing awarded grant funds if the township delayed. Commissioners who favored the lower‑cost plan said the township has grant deadlines and bonded funds to deploy; opponents called for additional price updates from the original designers before committing to a plan.
Commissioner Connolly noted the financial pressure created by grant timelines and outstanding bond proceeds and urged the board to select a plan that could be built without jeopardizing grant awards. Opponents including Commissioner Tuckie and Commissioner Zubac repeatedly requested a side‑by‑side, vendor‑provided cost update and argued that bid results—not estimates—should guide a final selection.
The board’s majority said they had considered the earlier design work, the updated consultant estimates, and the need to act before some grant windows expire. The board directed staff to move the chosen plan into the next stage of procurement and to return with a timeline and a schedule for grant drawdowns.
Next steps: staff will produce procurement documents, pursue necessary permit approvals and coordinate any applicable grant drawdowns; the board asked finance staff to present a funding plan and schedule to the commission.
