Wissahickon School Board Presented Results of Facilities Study

“One of the most important jobs for a school board and administration is to plan for the future,” said Judith Clark, during Tuesday night’s facilities study meeting.

The meeting was scheduled for the Board to hear the results of the study as well as some of the options presented by Breslin Architects and D’Huy Engineering. It also gave the Board a chance to ask questions about the facilities study.

“Leadership and direction will ultimately come from the school directors,” said Arif Fazil, Prinicpal at D’Huy Engineering.

Fazil said D’Huy looked at the enrollment study; which was completed for Wissahickon School District in May 2010; trends in population, and education requirements for Wissahickon.

They also looked at the goals for each school, speaking with each stakeholder at each building and did a thorough walk through of each building. They also looked at how the buildings are being used, from common spaces to classroom spaces.

“We're looking at [creating] 21^st Century Schools,” said Fazil.

He said they made a prioritized list of needs for each building looking 10 years out including everything from finishes and flooring, to electrical and roofing.

The engineering company made a comprehensive list for each school building that includes size, building history, renovation costs vs. replacement costs vs. capital improvements, as well as the total capital improvement costs including asbestos abatement as a percentage of a full renovation of the building.

Fazil said when that percentage gets close to or above 60 percent, the district should look at doing something more holistically to the building than just capital improvements.

The and buildings are both at 53 percent, is at 72 percent, is at 67 percent, is at 58 percent, is at 79 percent and the bus garage is at 125 percent.

Asbestos has been taken care in a the majority of the district’s buildings except the and Stony Creek Elementary.

Robin Breslin, President of Breslin Architects, showed the Board eight different options for the elementary schools and seven different options for the secondary schools.

Some of the highlights of the plans include closing Mattison Avenue Elementary School or closing both Mattison Avenue and Blue Bell Elementary Schools and consolidate the students into the other three schools.

Breslin said cost to renovate, cost of upkeep, age of the building, student enrollment and other factors are why they suggest closing the two elementary schools.

At the secondary level, options presented by Breslin Architects include removing the middle school pool and making it an auditorium and building a new pool at the high school. Building a new middle school and high school, the middle school would be behind the current middle school and allow for better vehicle circulation, and the high school would either be rebuilt on the footprint of the current high school or building a new high school adjacent to the current high school, on the current stadium and parking area and rebuilding the stadium.

Barbara Moyer, school board director, asked Breslin and Fazil, “I would like to hear the educational advantages” of closing two school buildings, or building two buildings at Shady Grove, and renovating or building new buildings.

Young Park, president of the Board, asked the administration to find out the price of new desks, new projectors and new smartboards to find out the “true cost of the project.”

As for closing buildings, Clark said there are specific timelines and regulations the district must follow before closing school buildings.

“There’s a lot to consider…we have a long way to go,” said Clark.

The Wissahickon School District has posted the presentation and the full facilities report on the District website for residents.