Neshaminy Board Hears Updates on Consolidation Plan

The Neshaminy School District is moving closer to voting on a school consolidation plan.

Officials from Reynolds Construction Management came before the school board Tuesday night and presented the findings of an audit conducted to several schools over summer.

Representatives for the company showed a PowerPoint that said Everitt Elementary School in Levittown, Lower Southampton Elementary School in Feasterville and Oliver Heckman Elementary School in Langhorne were all too costly retrofit under Pennsylvania’s Act 39, also known as GESA.

What’s Act 39?

Act 39 is a program that lets districts sign contracts with “energy service companies for energy efficiency improvements without any initial investments. Those companies guarantee the annual savings from energy efficiency modifications will cover the cost of the project. When the contract ends, the owner receives all of the energy savings,” according to the Pittsburgh Tribune.

Rick Evans of Reynolds previously told the Neshaminy board 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 cost overages are the responsibility of Reynolds.

“Even with the reduced numbers here, you can see all of these buildings are in the major renovation category. They really don’t fit well for a GESA project,” Evans told the board on Tuesday.

Evans outlined the extensive renovations the three elementary schools needed and said Levittown’s Herbert Hoover Elementary School and Albert Schweitzer Elementary School along with connected Carl Sandburg Middle School renovations would fit under Act 39.

The district’s proposed plan involves closing several schools and building a new roughly $30 million, 900-student elementary school at the Tawanka School site in Lower Southampton.

Design work on the proposed project, according to Reynolds officials, should be completed by October and the board might be able to vote on a final plan before the year is over. If voted forward, work could begin as soon as the summer of 2015.

Officials said the proposed consolidation, renovation and construction project is not final and is still being examined.

Board member Ron Rudy mentioned renovating and expanding at the Heckman site. He wondered aloud if the building would cost less than building a new school at the Tawanka site, which is currently leased by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.

“I think the people in the upper end (of Middletown) should have a school,” he said. He questioned whether a major overhaul and addition to the school would be $10 million less than building a new school a few miles away.

Board member Steve Pirritano said there are several problems with Rudy’s Heckman plan, including the displacement of students.

Board member Mike Morris suggested the board reevaluate the proposal.

“Are we going to back into analysis here after 7 years?” board member Mark Subin asked. He said district commissioned studies have shown more kids live near the Tawanka site, as opposed to the Heckman school.

In the end, the majority of the board – with the exception of Rudy and Morris – voted down Rudy’s proposal to examine renovating and adding onto Heckman.