Upper Dublin board directs staff to bid 75‑foot gym for new Jarrett Town school, keeps original design as alternate

The Upper Dublin School District Board of School Directors voted on July 27, 2026 to direct administration to place a 75‑foot‑length gym (Option 2) into the bid documents for the Jarrett Town Elementary School, with the administration’s original 50x68 design (Option 1) included as a bid alternate. The motion to approve Option 2 (made by Mr. Sirota and seconded by Dr. Berto) passed by roll call after board discussion and public comment.

Administration said Option 2 adds seven feet to the gym length, increases seating to about 520 and would require modest reconfiguration of storage and office space at an estimated redesign/construction increment of about $275,000. Dr. Smith said administration recommended the original design but was bringing the other options to the board for deliberation: "Administration is not recommending options 3 and 4 for the reasons I went through," she said. The board directed staff to include Option 1 as an alternate so the district can compare firm bids before making a final award.

Board members debated trade‑offs including parking, zoning and timeline. Administration and consultants told the board that any move beyond the 75‑foot length likely would trigger zoning relief and a new land‑development review that could add roughly a year to the schedule and carry estimated escalation costs on the order of several million dollars. The administration will move ahead to prepare bid documents, and the project team expects bids to be issued in October with an Act 34 public hearing planned for September.