Quaker Valley School District officials host forum on proposed high school project

Missy Walls of Edgeworth was one of many Quaker Valley area residents concerned about the proposed high school project.

She wanted to know what the district was working on, and get answers to questions straight from the professionals tasked with designing the educational home of future Quaker graduates.

That opportunity came at a community forum at the current high school auditorium Sept. 20.

District director of communications Michelle Dietz mediated a panel of administrators, engineers, architects and board members. She also read questions submitted online by residents.

About 650 students will eventually be enrolled at the proposed 167,000-square-foot school set on 150 acres of land off Camp Meeting Road. It straddles Leet Township, Edgeworth and Leetsdale.

About 100 people attended the forum in person while 140 participated online.

Walls, a 1981 graduate and mother of a fourth grader, came away impressed with what she heard.

“I have a vested interest in this community and in this school,” Walls said. “This school building right now is an abomination and it’s an embarrassment. We need to do better for our kids and for our community.”

New artist renderings were revealed at the Aug. 22 school board meeting. Those renderings were used in a video presentation at the start of the panel discussion. The video also included comments from various members of the design team, administration and teachers. It highlighted spacious classrooms, maker spaces, the auditorium, gymnasium, tennis courts and other amenities like student-run café called the Daily Grind.

The proposed auditorium will seat 750, compared to the current 500-seat theater.

Comments from teachers like art teacher Nina Strelec largely focused on how they were able to give input and speak with architects about what they need to provide the best education for their students.

“They really have been wanting to make this an easy process for everyone,” she said. “Our feedback is appreciated, and you can tell it’s being thoughtfully introduced into this new building.”

The new high school will also have more windows to make it more eco friendly and for “increased daylight harvesting,” according to the presentation.

More questions

Several nearby property owners, including Tom Michael of Leetsdale, voiced concerns about storm water runoff and if the project could lead to flooded basements and related problems.

He also asked the panel what would happen to subsurface water when they blast the land to make room for the high school.

Geotechnical engineer Geoff Phillips said he would have to check with blast experts before answering the question.

Phillips did note plans include at least three retention facilities to handle runoff and other measures to remove sediment and bolster storm water management.

Michael left feeling more questions need answered before he could support the project. He called the event a sales pitch and not a forum for discussion.

“My input is meaningless,” he said. “I just did it because I wanted to be on the record with it, but they’re not listening to that. There’s a 30-foot mound that sits on the eastern end of where the school is,” Michael said. “It’s got to be cutoff. It’s got to be taken out and they have to blast. What’s the effect going to be when you do that?”

Amy Szuba of Edgeworth asked about accessibility for students with disabilities and special needs.

Design team member John Orsini, principal with BSHM Architects, said plans include elevators and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant amenities. Restrooms would also be built to all applicable codes.

“All that stuff is very relevant and built into the design of the new school,” Orsini said. “Every kid has an opportunity to get to every space and to participate in everything, even in regards to things like locker rooms and some of the other collaborative spaces that we have in the new school that this current building does not have.”

Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities and administrative services, talked about transportation and safety at the proposed school.

He said there would be turning lanes installed along Camp Meeting Road at Beaver Street at the site’s lower entrance, and turning lanes north and south further up Camp Meeting Road at the second entrance.

There will be separate areas for student drop offs for parents and buses.

High school principal Deborah Riccobelli said those spaces are combined at the current school, causing safety concerns in the morning and afternoons.

Project funding

Scott Antonline, district director of finance and operations, reiterated his position at previous school board meetings about the district staying within the $98 million to $105 million budget projections.

The financial plan includes borrowing about $94 million via bonds not to exceed 30 years, similar to what was done years ago for the middle and elementary schools.

Tax increases the next five years would be between 3.4% and 2.9%, with 2% of that being annual hikes to just cover operational needs.

District officials said those figures are less than the allowable tax hikes projected under the state’s Act 1 index, a formula that limits real estate tax increases without voters’ approval.

Board treasurer Jeff Watters also talked about the Act 1 index and the Local Government Unit Debt Act, which limits a school district’s outstanding debt they are allowed to have without voter approval, among the fiscal restrictions being followed.

Quaker Valley must also follow Act 34 — sometimes referred to as the “Taj Mahal Act,” which requires public hearings on any major construction plans such as new buildings or significant renovations.

Edgeworth resident Kirk Fordham, president of the volunteer pro-high school project parent group QV Strong, said the district was very organized and professional with its presentation.

He believes it did little to move the hearts of those already in favor or opposed to the development.

“I think it probably helped those in the middle that had questions answered tonight,” Fordham said. “This condensed all the information (about) finance, safety, facilities, cost all in one night and it really organized it in a fashion that was understandable to people that don’t have time to pay attention every single day.”

Project timeline

Preliminary and final plan submissions to the Leet and Leetsdale planning commissions are expected to be done sometime in October.

The district plans to host a pubic hearing at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at the high school, 635 Beaver St. in Leetsdale.

The goal is for the board to approve bid solicitation in November or December, with contract bids coming in January or February.

A construction manager would be hired after bids are approved.

The goal is to break ground by next spring and have it ready by the 2027-28 school year.

More information about the project is available at the “Blueprint QV: New High School Project” section of qvsd.org.