Wilmington must cut plans for renovation

By DEBBIE WACHTER MORRIS

The boiler system is a dinosaur.

The band and chorus rooms, restrooms, stairwells, kitchen, cafeteria, hallways, auditorium, lockers, locker rooms and gymnasium bleachers are originals.

Wilmington High School graduated its first class in 1959, but since then, those and other parts of the building have never seen improvements.

The boiler was reinforced in the 1990s to extend its life another 20 years, but its life expectancy is short.

Despite needed repairs, there is no dispute among the school board members that the cost to upgrade the building as proposed — $33 million — is just too much.

The board has agreed to have its architects, HHSDR of Sharon, return to the drawing board for less expensive options.

HHSDR presented improvement plans with price tags to the board last month. The members have resolved that the cost, which includes about $65,000 for asbestos removal, is too much burden to pass on to taxpayers.

Eight of the board’s nine members sat with Superintendent Dr. C. Joyce Nicksick in a special meeting Monday to examine what parts of the proposed renovation project could be changed or eliminated to trim millions of dollars.

They suggested cutting out certain features that will be considered as alternate bids, depending on the costs when the contracts come in.

They also want changes that will eliminate the need for demolition and reconstruction of certain wings — which Nicksick believes will cut millions off the cost.

The original plans were estimated at between $18 million and $20 million, she said, so the sticker came as a shock to her and the board.

“Lo and behold, we’ve got a price tag that I cannot wrap my arms around,” she said.



BACKGROUND

The project was conceived about two years ago with the understanding this would be a good time to upgrade, Nicksick explained. Work is expected to begin in fall 2009.

She sees a new boiler system as the school’s biggest need.

The board made no formal recommendations Monday, and Nicksick said she will contact the architects and tell them that “more work needs to be done.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Education restricts project reimbursements to every 20 years.

The last middle/high school improvements were made in the 1990s, but the architects have advised Nicksick they feel confident the state will make an exception for the district to get reimbursed for this proposed project, she said.

The renovations as proposed also include other infrastructure improvements, such as air conditioning, along with added classrooms, upgraded restrooms and kitchen/cafeteria, a new gymnasium and a fitness center.

The board members agreed an expanded vocational agricultural center is vital to attracting students to the district.

“The vo-ag presents a great curriculum for our students and a number of our students will enter that career path,” Nicksick said.

But while the architect plans are to demolish the existing vo-ag department and build a new one, Nicksick sees a renovation as more practical.

Other proposed improvements include extensive paving to create more parking, which the board has deemed a low priority.



SUGGESTIONS

“There are obvious plans we can chop,” commented board member Robert Curry, “ ... but I’d like to see this become a more first-class district than it already is.”

Because of the cost, the district needs to first decide what is needed for the health and safety of the students, then decide what else it would like to include, he said.

The district also is negotiating with its teachers for a new contract, and the district has to be cautious about spending on both ends, Curry commented. The existing four-year agreement expires in December.

Board member Mary Buckwalter countered that negotiations should not enter into the considerations made in the renovations.

“I think we’ve done a good job at isolating the needs,” commented board member Bill Taylor. “It just comes down to how much we can realistically do.”

Taylor, who sits on the Pulaski Township Sewer Authority, said 50 to 60 properties in Pulaski have liens on them for inability to pay sewer costs. He expressed concern about the district’s ability to collect all its tax money with a struggling economy.

“To hit (residents) with a significant millage increase to support the building, I’m just not sure we can pull that off,” he said.

“If we don’t do some of these things, there will be people who won’t want to move into the district because we don’t have the facilities to educate our students in science, math, and the arts,” commented board member Lynn Foltz. “We’ve always been proud of (those programs) and we’ve done it on a shoestring.”

Foltz said that an auxiliary gym would be nice, but “I can do without it.”

She said she is embarrassed when she goes into other schools and sees how nice their restrooms are.

Peggy Foht, a board member and Wilmington alumna, said she has seen cigarette marks on the restroom walls that have been there since she graduated. One of her sons is a senior this year.

“I’m having a hard time with the price of it,” board president Nancy Bretz commented. “I’m amazed at the price of all of these additions.”

District resident Fred Ware of Cowden Road told the board he appreciates its time and diligence in thinking of the taxpayers while trying to provide an education for the students.

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