Spring Grove board approves ESC sale and $1.295M high school access road after lengthy debate

The Spring Grove Area School District board on June 22 approved two major facilities actions: the sale of the district’s Educational Services Center (ESC) to the Historical Preservation Society for $535,000 and the construction of a secondary access road to the high school with a not‑to‑exceed cost estimate of $1.295 million.

The ESC sale (agenda item A) passed on a roll‑call vote with unanimous support. The board then took an individual vote on the proposed high school secondary access road (agenda item B). The road authorization passed 6–3; board members Ritz, Wilson and Shear recorded “no” votes. The motion authorizes design, permitting and construction under the proposed plan and to use a procurement mechanism that the district described as job order contracting through EZ‑IQ/Gordian, enabling the district to contract directly with Lowbar and associated subcontractors.

The access road dominated the evening’s discussion. Several board members said they support building another entrance to improve safety and emergency access but raised concerns about the latest cost estimate, changes in the proposed alignment and the grade. Board member Rodney (last name not stated at the moment of speech) and others said they were surprised that the project had grown longer and steeper in places and asked for clearer engineering detail and confirmation of how much on‑site fill could be reused to avoid importing material.

Superintendent Daphne and members of Site Logic, the district’s consultant, defended the approved design as the outcome of engineering, permitting and safety reviews. Daphne said the selected design had been engineered, reviewed and permitted and warned that redesigning for a shorter alignment would likely produce steeper grades (Site Logic and other reviewers warned grades could approach double‑digit percentages) and could require importing additional fill and new permits — which would add time and cost. Daphne also reported that the construction estimate rose from about $1.125 million last year to $1.295 million this year, in part because of market conditions and project scope.

On procurement, district staff and Site Logic representatives said job order contracting using EZ‑IQ/Gordian and Lowbar provides a not‑to‑exceed figure and fewer anticipated change‑order risks than an open public bid; some board members said public bidding remains an option for future projects.

The board directed staff to continue seeking cost reductions where possible — including re‑using clean fill on site and pursuing potential grants — but the approval clears the project to move toward contracting and construction as planned.

Votes at a glance

- ESC sale to the Historical Preservation Society: approved (unanimous). Purchase price: $535,000. - High school secondary access road (design, permit, construct; not to exceed $1.295 million): approved 6–3. No votes: Ritz, Wilson, Shear. - Bundled budget/finance and personnel items were also approved earlier in the meeting (see ‘Votes’ article for full list).

The board and administration said further work on pricing, phasing and fill sourcing will continue after the approval; a celebration for the ESC closing is planned for July 30 and will proceed in parallel to the road implementation.