As Quaker Valley School District’s architects and design team continue to work on the proposed high school expected to open in Leet within the next few years, administration and school board members continue to focus on the future of the existing buildings.
The board recently approved an $80,750 comprehensive facilities assessment proposal from Pittsburgh-based DRAW Collective Architecture.
It has been about 10 years since a thorough inspection of all amenities by an architectural firm was done.
The last facilities study was done by New Castle-based Eckles Architecture & Engineer.
The 242-page report filed in March 2015 included data on enrollment, demographics, floor plans, proposed modernization and upgrades, curriculum and more. District officials said that report and increasing maintenance costs were among the factors in the decision to build a new high school.
Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities and administrative services, said essentially everything was put under a microscope to determine what could be done to serve the students and staff better.
He expects DRAW Collective’s study, which is expected to begin in the spring, to have the same level of detail and impact building decisions for years to come.
“It’s like a deep dive review of all of our buildings and campuses,” Gauthier said. “They will review interiors of the buildings, flooring, walls, doors and educational spaces just to make sure they’re set up correctly. They review mechanical equipment, roofs, security, kitchen. They do a review of everything (and) give us a wide range of recommendations.”
Evaluations are expected to take at least eight months to complete. The hope is to have a report in January 2026.
Quaker Valley has four schools: Osborne and Edgeworth elementary schools, the middle school and the high school. The district’s total enrollment is about 1,800 students.
It also leases office space in Leetsdale Industrial Park for the district’s administrative offices.
“Our buildings are in really good shape, but I think they are due for a comprehensive facilities review,” Gauthier said. “It’s a guide for us to look at our five-year capital plan and tell us what our biggest needs are to address.”
Selecting a firm
The district requested proposals for a facilities assessment in November and received four in December.
One of the reasons Gauthier is confident in DRAW Collective’s work and recommended it at the Jan. 22 board meeting is because of the familiarity some of its staffers have with Quaker Valley.
The Eckles firm merged with DRAW in 2022.
“They were involved in the previous facility assessments, and they were involved in the renovations of our two elementary schools and middle school,” Gauthier said. “They know the history of the buildings.
“What’s helpful with this is we get used to the everyday type of activity (at the schools). It’s always helpful to bring that extra set of eyes on and say, ‘Here’s what needs to happen.’ They are professionals. They have consultants. They’ll have their mechanical engineers. That’s what they are licensed to do, and they come and evaluate everything.”
The elementary schools were renovated in 2006 and 2007. The middle school was renovated in 2011.
Renovation projects at the three schools included new HVAC systems, furniture and security upgrades.
School Director Gianni Floro, chairman of the facilities and operations committee, said he looks forward to seeing how those projects are holding up and what capital improvements need to be done.
“It helps us with budgeting and facilities maintenance as well,” he said.
There have been multiple repair projects at the high school in Leetsdale, but not a complete overhaul as at the other facilities.
HVAC, paving and security upgrades at the current high school are part of the district’s current capital improvements plan. The high school stadium will get a new turf and track this summer.
Special evaluation
The high school will receive a special evaluation compared to the other three schools.
Its students are expected to relocate to the new facility off Camp Meeting Road in Leet by the 2027-28 school year.
The district is in the process of seeking a construction manager. Its land development plans received approval from the planning commission and township commissioners last year.
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The proposed 167,000-square-foot school is planned on district property that straddles Leet Township, Edgeworth and Leetsdale, but the school will be in the township.
Gauthier said they want to look at future uses of the school compared to future upgrades.
“Once the new high school is built, what can (the old) space be used for?” Gauthier said. “There will be some meetings with different groups. They’ll provide three conceptual uses.
“They could say knock it down and make it a green space, make it additional parking for the football field there, build district offices there. It depends on what kind of feedback they get from us and the overall message of what we want to see there. We’re not getting rid of the property.”
District administration, teachers, school board and community members are expected to be involved in those conversations.
Floro said he would not be surprised if some of the high school needs to be demolished.
“The reuse of that building is very difficult just because of some of the structural aspects of it, and then you have all the infrastructure items with regard to the building,” Floro said. “It would not be, I think, in anyone’s interest to try and save the present school structure.”
There is potential for moving district offices from the industrial park to the high school and saving the gymnasium for public games.
“The district has certain needs, (and) the community has potential needs as well,” Floro said. “There is one swimming pool servicing swimming for our area — that’s at the YMCA in Sewickley. Let’s say we had a pool. Let’s say potentially ice space for hockey, potentially gymnasium space for district uses and also community uses. Let’s say we had community space. One of the primary things that we need to look for is space for district administration.“
District officials have said repeatedly there are no plans to sell the high school when the new one is built.
Classroom evaluation
Another evaluation to begin in the next week or so is the prototype classroom that went into use at the start of the school year.
Crews from Clark Contractors of Bedford reconfigured teacher Jennifer Matthews’ classroom to look like what may be used at the proposed high school.
The classroom is about 850 square feet and could accommodate about 25 students.
“We’ve had no requests for any repairs to any of it yet,” Gauthier said. “We are testing furniture to see how we like it. Student desks and chairs and teachers have new desks and chairs. We have new technology in there typical of what the new classrooms would be set up like.”
Surveys will go out to teachers and students in February to get their feedback. Another survey is planned at the end of the school year.