Ethan Elementary construction update: committee hears timeline, budget and air‑quality plan

On June 2, the Facilities Committee of Radnor Township SD received its first formal construction update for the new Ethan Elementary School, six weeks into an estimated 89‑week schedule.

Committee staff said the project’s substantial completion milestone is currently targeted for Jan. 14, 2028, with district move‑in planned for spring 2028 and final completion aimed for the 2028‑29 school year. Staff described the project as approximately 1.8 percent financially complete and gave a target budget of $75,890,993, including soft costs. A construction contingency of about $1.5 million remains available for change orders and overruns.

The update identified the prime contracts and early work that have already finished or are underway: a temporary HVAC system (Gem Mechanical), early site work and tree removal, demolition work and the general contract for the new building (Burrow Construction). Staff said a net credit change order to the electrical contractor BSI for the temporary HVAC work will lower that contract sum by $5,387.14 as the early contracts are reconciled.

Committee members and public commenters pressed staff about air quality while the current building remains occupied during some phases of construction. A recorded comment from Melissa Sykes of New Town Square asked whether the district had evaluated supplemental portable HEPA filtration or air scrubbers and whether bi‑weekly particulate testing provides adequate coverage during heavy excavation days. Sykes noted Ethan’s open layout with interior courtyards and asked how that design affected exposure risk for students and staff with asthma or other respiratory sensitivities.

Staff answered with a description of the district’s mitigation strategy: existing HVAC units were upgraded to the maximum operable filter level (MV10), bi‑weekly particulate testing by the environmental risk engineer will continue and will increase if weather or construction activity warrants, and water trucks and stabilized construction entrances will be used to suppress dust. Staff said third‑party industrial hygienists recently performed sampling and site observation and provided a “clean bill of health” with no immediate recommendations to change controls. They also said Environmental Control Systems (ECS), the district’s environmental risk engineer, will design and oversee any required abatement work and bid packages for asbestos floor tile and similar hazardous materials.

Staff said portable HEPA filtration could be deployed within an hour by specialty contractors (at additional cost) if monitoring indicated it was necessary, and that remediation strategies would be implemented promptly if tests showed elevated particulates. The committee discussed signage and fencing to keep the active construction zone off‑limits during the week and asked that restricted‑area notifications be posted before summer, when public families might otherwise expect to access school grounds.

On project phasing and schedule, staff reviewed a three‑phase approach with some site work and an abatement project planned for summer 2027 (before planned demolition in spring 2028). Staff explained how contract retainage works and how the district will present monthly updates with photos, look‑ahead items and schedule milestones. Committee members requested a start‑date column be added to future schedule slides to make start/vs‑milestone timing clearer and suggested simplifying slide text for readability.

Next steps: staff will continue monthly construction updates, move forward with abatement design and bidding (planned for summer 2027), continue bi‑weekly monitoring and be prepared to scale air‑quality controls if monitoring or conditions require. The committee did not take a separate formal vote on project authorization at this meeting; the update was informational and will be returned to the board as needed.