$125M New Keith Valley Middle School Approved In Horsham Township

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —There will be a new $124.8 million Keith Valley Middle School.

After years of discussion about replacing a school built in 1957, the Hatboro-Horsham School Board voted unanimously Monday night to award bids for the construction of a new middle school in the same vicinity on Meetinghouse Road.

The new school is estimated to cost $124,894,030 and will be built behind the current school on Meetinghouse Road.

In a presentation before the school board, Schools Superintendent Scott Eveslage presented three options to the school board, saying it was time to make a decision.

The superintendent said that studies go back as far as 2008 prioritizing the project as high level. He said further studies over the past decade placed the middle school at the top of the list of school projects and that the process intensified over the past 18 months through various meetings, proposals, and hearings.

Eveslage outlined several options: approving the bids and going forward, delaying the project for a year and then rebidding, redesigning the project, renovating the current middle school or approving an alternate plan that would be cheaper and smaller by shaving off 15,000 square feet.

All were explained in great detail by the superintendent, who also recommended that building a new school was the best option despite what he called some surprisingly low bids.

"No one is thrilled with the bids," the superintendent said. "We agonized over this decision to move forward and award the bids."

Bids had come in between $120 million and $129 million at the end of October, prompting a second Act 34 Hearing, the superintendent stated

In a nearly two-hour meeting that included some public comments supporting a new school, the school board voted to award the bids.

“Consider the impact on the future,” Eveslage said. “When you build a building, you're building it for 50 years.”

He recommended to the board to go out to bid, believing that the new school offers the district flexibility in the future to deal with enrollment and needs for other schools.

"I understand the gravity of this decision.," the superintendent said.

Eveslage said the bids have a December expiration date on them.

The bids were awarded to Boro Construction of King of Prussia as general contractor for $79.39 million. JBM Mechanical of Nazareth would get a $14.96 million bid, BSI Electrical of Montgomeryville ($12.53 million and Stan Roch Plumbing of Zion Grove ($4.91 million.)

The board members who approved the measure were David Brown, Jennifer Wilson, Erin Stroup, D.J. Schultz, Theresa Brown, Tara Conner-Hallston, Susan Hunsinger-Hoff, and Erin Whelan.

The motion carried to some audience applause.

Before the vote, Schultz asked several questions about renovating the current school.

"I just don't want us to be indifferent to the financial struggles of the people in our community and I definitely struggled over my decision that I will vote on tonight," Conner-Hallston said. "But I do want to thank everyone who was more than willing to answer questions, specifically you Scott, to help me decide what to do. It is a concern. If our financial structure gets lopsided, that inhibits us to do other things. I don't want anything we do to stop student programs. But based on what you all explained, if we don't move forward, it will cost us more in the long run."

In other school district news:

• The school board held its reorganization meeting before the middle school presentation. The school board also held its reorganization meeting on Monday night. David Brown was elected president again, and Jennifer Wilson was elected vice president. Both were the only two members nominated.
• The school board will meet next on Jan. 9.

Correction: School board member Tara Conner-Hallston's name was misspelled on second reference and she was misquoted. Those mistakes have been corrected. Patch apologizes for the error.