Council Rock Facilities Committee reviews Chancellor Center design‑development, budget and environmental study

The Council Rock School District Facilities Committee received a design‑development update on the Chancellor Center renovation at its June 4 meeting, where architects and engineers described detailed mechanical, electrical and plumbing coordination, site and roof investigations, and measures intended to preserve historic features while preparing construction documents. Presenters said the district is working from an RFP baseline (phasing removed) and that the current design‑development construction estimate is about $16.4 million, with approximately $1.44 million carried as combined design and construction contingencies.

Kelsey, an architect from Marada Maine, opened the presentation by saying the project goal remains, “students first always,” and described work to resolve MEP clashes, refine casework and furniture layouts, and select materials and acoustical treatments that preserve the building’s historic wood floors. She told the committee that exterior site improvements, lighting options and civil engineering comments to the township and HARP are being coordinated so a full package can be returned to HARP for review later in the month.

Committee members asked about lighting choices and potential effects of LED fixtures. The project team said lighting will be dimmable and that they are studying color temperature to avoid a sterile environment; the architects also showed enlarged floor plans and isometric views carried from schematic design into the design‑development set.

On budget and schedule, staff said the RFP number (with phasing removed) established a working baseline of roughly $16.9 million, that the DD estimate is about $16.4 million, and that they are carrying two contingency line items (rounded to $720,000 each) to cover design and construction unknowns. “We’re right on target there with the project,” a presenter told the committee. The team said they plan to advertise bids in October and bring actual bids and a recommendation to the full board at the December meeting, at which point construction costs from contractor bids would be fixed and contingencies would be the primary remaining source of fluctuation.

Presenters summarized site investigations that informed the estimate: cistern inspections (including locating inflows and measuring depths), asphalt testing, scoping of perimeter storm lines (several of which are broken or clogged), utility locating, selective destructive openings for structural verification and roof core testing. The team said they found a third on‑site cistern not shown on existing drawings and that two interior cisterns will be abandoned while a new underground basin under the parking lot is proposed to manage runoff and keep water away from the basement. Staff emphasized that, because the building is old, there will likely be discoveries when walls and ceilings are opened and that is why the contingencies are being maintained as a protective measure.

The committee also considered a proposed Phase‑2 environmental study to investigate recognized conditions identified in a Phase‑1 assessment — notably elevator hydraulic fluid history and the footprint of a previously removed heating‑oil tank. Administration described the scope (geotechnical assessment, soil borings, subslab vapor sampling and a limited Phase‑2 ESA) and said the agreement would be for $21,000; staff confirmed that the cost is included in the project estimate.

Cheryl C. Hills, a New Town/Lakeland resident, offered public comment urging careful preservation of the Chancellor Center’s historic fabric, noting the building’s ties to local World War II records and school history and praising the project team’s attention to historic character. She told the committee preserving the building’s story matters to future students.

Next steps: staff will return with additional DD documents and civil/HARP responses later this month, proceed toward construction documents and begin the October bidding process; the committee expects to review bids and a recommendation at the December board meeting.