The Bristol Township School District’s ambitious plan to replace the current nine aging elementary schools with three new buildings is moving forward.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Construction of the new 1,300-student buildings at the sites of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School on Mill Creek Road and James Buchanan Elementary School on Haines Road, both in Levittown, are well underway. Superintendent Dr. Samuel Lee said the work on the two school remains a bit behind schedule and over budget. He told LevittownNow.com he expects the budget and schedule to resolve itself as the work moves forward.
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Crews are currently working to finish constructing the footings of the buildings.
The school board voted last Monday to put the project proposed for the site of Mary Devine Elementary School in Croydon up for bid. As of Friday, district officials were still preparing the bid specs.
The Devine school recently received two of the three permits needed for work to begin, board solicitor David Truelove said last Monday. He added that final approval from township council can be obtained in the coming weeks after township officials sign off on paperwork.
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What makes the Devine project different is the building has to be taken down before work can begin due to the size of the site. The roughly 350 displaced students are attending classes at the Benjamin Franklin School, which currently serves as the district administrative offices, on Mill Creek Road in Levittown. The other two new school sites are keeping the current elementary buildings until work in done.
If the two Levittown schools are still behind as the start of the 2015-2016 school year approaches, the district would likely accelerate the construction schedule or push the start of school back, the superintendent said. The Devine building has more wiggle room as that school is not set to open until the 2016-2017 school year.
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While district officials continue to say the schools are needed to replace the current buildings, many residents continue voice their concerns about the cost at school board meetings.
Here are the estimated costs of the construction projects:
- Emerson: $38,745,000
- Buchanan: $38,767,000
- Devine: $39,007,000
