Neshaminy Officials Presented with Plan to Renovate Schools & Save Millions

Neshaminy officials were presented with a plan that could renovate the district’s aging schools for a fraction of the cost.

Reynolds Construction Management officials presented a plan last week that would renovate five district schools for roughly half the approximately $50 million cost that was previously presented.

The construction company said they would take advantage of Pennsylvania’s Act 39 to save the district millions.

Rick Evans of Reynolds said going with Act 39 renovations for district buildings would be a win-win for the school district. He said the school district could secure loans to make energy-saving improvements and other minor improvements to buildings through the legislation.

While it can’t be used for major renovations, minor architectural work like paint and ceilings could be covered using loans from Act 39, Evans said, adding that the contract is fixed-price and any extra charges are the responsibility of Reynolds.

“It’s literally illegal,” Evans said of charging the district for changes.

The work saves money by skirting the line of bringing the buildings up to the full code in this day and age, which a full renovation would need.

Evans called the process “very surgical,” adding that Reynolds’ staff would audit each school to see what needs to be replaced or repaired.

The district previously heard prices close to $50 million for a full renovation. Evans said the number for an Act 39 project would likely be around $24 million with additional money saved by energy efficiencies.

Evans said the district could add secure vestibules, one handicap-accessible bathroom, cameras and air conditioning to the elementary schools.

A preliminary audit of Hoover Elementary School, Ferderbar Elementary School, Poquessing Middle School, Schweitzer Elementary School and Sandburg Middle School was conducted by the company. Evans said Reynolds’ would offer a free final audit of all the buildings if the district filed a formal request.

“This is clearly not the last conversation on the topic we’ll have,” Superintendent Robert Copeland said after Evans’ presentation.

No action on the proposal was taken and officials said it would be looked into along with other options.

The district has been talking about renovating or consolidating elementary schools and moving fifth-graders to the middle schools to fill empty seats. The aging elementary buildings, in many cases, need costly work and discussions about their future has been ongoing for years.

District officials denied last week that they had a list of schools that they were planning to close.