An addition and renovations at two schools are expected to cost the Plum School District nearly $10 million more than officials have said the district can borrow.
The total estimated cost of the work is about $39.6 million, representatives of HDG Architects reported this month to the school board.
The district is planning to borrow $30 million over three years. The first $10 million borrowing was recently completed, Ryan Manzer, district business manager, told the board.
Most of the cost is for O’Block, which HDG estimated at $26.95 million. It includes a $1.1 million construction contingency and $3.5 million in “soft costs,” which includes fees, insurance, furniture and equipment.
Of the $22.4 million estimated construction cost at O’Block, nearly $16 million is for building renovations and new construction, where an addition would add 14 classrooms.
Work at Plum Middle School is estimated to cost about $12.6 million. On top of the $10.6 million construction cost is $1.6 million in soft costs and $425,000 accounting for inflation to 2025.
Superintendent Rick Walsh said he was concerned upon seeing the initial cost estimates, but noted that the project is still in a schematic design phase and structured in phases.
“The schematic design is giving us a pathway in regard to making some decisions, and the way that we’re approaching the project at the middle school and at O’Block gives this board, ultimately, flexibility in regard to the direction of where we want to go and what we can afford,” Walsh told the board.
“We’re not sure even how bids will come in. They may come in better than expected, which means we can do more,” he said. “There’s a lot of moving parts here, but I believe we’re moving in the right direction.”
The district’s priority is adding more room at O’Block, which a demographic study found will see rising enrollment. Since the start of the current school year, 19 students have been added, Walsh said.
While the project started with looking at O’Block and adding space for the potential return of a full-day kindergarten program, Walsh noted there have been feelings that the middle school and its needs have been left out or pushed back.
“All we’re doing is deferring costs that are going to be more than we’re talking about now,” he said. “A lot of these items that we’re talking about here are near end of life. Some of the systems are at end of life. Not doing anything costs more down the road.”
While focused on infrastructure, the proposal includes a new facade on the middle school, which Walsh said currently “looks like a box store” and doesn’t tie into the theme at the district’s other schools.
Some of the costs could be offset with grant money, Walsh said. He noted that the district received a $1.9 million grant that will pay for doors, windows and ventilation at the middle school, which is part of the project and expected to start next summer.
The district also can get a rebate from Duquesne Light for hallway lights to offset some of that cost, and the district employees may be able to handle some of the projects at the middle school, Walsh said.
“Our goal moving forward is to find a win-win for both of these facilities that both need attention,” he said.
In order to advance the project to its next phase and begin seeking bids, the school board will be asked to vote on some matters in December. The board meets on Dec. 3 and 17.
A project schedule shows the district seeking bids for the middle school beginning March 27, awarding contracts April 22, and construction beginning in May.
Work would be in done in two phases, from May to August 2025 and May to August 2026.
For O’Block, HDG’s schedule shows the district seeking bids in mid-August, awarding contracts in late September and construction starting in October. Construction would be substantially complete in July 2027, with the closeout phase running into October or November 2027.
The project is still a work in progress, Walsh said, and there will be ongoing conversations about what it will look like.
“We believe there’s opportunities to find cost savings at O’Block and continue to have some enhancements at the middle school that will not take away from the project,” he said.