If the planning process sticks to the script,
Hatboro-Horsham Superintendent Curtis Griffin hopes shovels will hit the ground
for construction of a new Hallowell Elementary School by May or June 2015.
And a vocal group of local and regional craftsmen
expressed their hope at Monday night’s meeting that the hands carrying the
shovels will belong to union workers.
“We are local taxpayers who will have kids attending
these schools,” said Mike Walton, a member of the local plumbers union.
“Non-union firms will bring in unskilled workers from the other side of the
state who won’t be paying the local taxes from their wages. The district should
make it a point to have some percentage of the construction workforce come from
the local residents.”
Walton’s sentiments were echoed by several speakers who
addressed the school board and district administrators, making their case for
union labor for the new school. District solicitor Jack Dooley reiterated that
the project will follow the state law of using prevailing wages and putting the
project out for public bid, with the requirement that the district will
contract the lowest responsible bidder.
The union representatives think enough leeway exists in
defining the word “responsible” that can increase the likelihood of using
skilled labor for the project.
“What we are looking for is transparency in the project,”
said Rodney Walker, business agent for the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers Local 98. “Outside contractors undercut the unions by paying
low wages for unskilled, uneducated labor that ultimately perform substandard
work. We just want to level the playing field.”
There are still quite a few steps the district must take
before the project goes out to bid, Griffin said, but he appreciated the
comments from the community and says they will all be taken into consideration.
Monday’s presentation fulfilled Pennsylvania’s Act 34 mandate requiring a
public hearing to detail the specifications for the new school and how it will
be funded.
According to Bonnie Sowers, the architect for the project
from E/I Associates, the 88,000-square-foot building will accommodate 600
students, with the capacity to create additional classroom space for up to 750
children.
The building will be built on the site of the former Army
Reserve Center, 6.8 acres that the district lobbied to acquire from the federal
government. The deed was signed over to Hatboro-Horsham in the spring for $1,
putting the project on the front burner.
“Getting that land was a real game changer for us,” said
Griffin. “We have 50-year-old schools that look great cosmetically, but need a
lot of help with their infrastructure, such as roofs and the electrical grids.
The availability of that space helped us decide which school to focus on
first.”
The size of the property will allow construction behind
the existing Hallowell Elementary on Maple Avenue with no disruptions to the
current students.
The building will consist of two parts, connected by a
pair of walkways. The front part features the vestibule entrance incorporating
safety protocols now standard in school construction. The cafeteria, school
administration, nurse’s office, gymnasium, music and art rooms and media
center/library comprise the rest of the first building. The walkways lead to
the actual classrooms, divided into four-room clusters by grade in a two-floor
building. The exterior includes a large front parking lot, two lane driveway to
provide easy access for parent drop offs and pick-ups, a separate lot for the
buses, a hard surface play area for students that can also be used for
additional parking during evening events, a playground area and field for team
sports.
District business administrator Robert Reichert told the
crowd of approximately 40 to 50 residents that no taxes will be raised to fund
the project. Two general obligation bonds at a total of approximately $33
million will be issued to the school to cover the physical construction and
soft expenses such as permits, fees and contingency funds. The district will
also receive a $2 million grant from Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design for its environmentally sound, LEED-certified design.
Source: The
Intelligencer
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