Hempfield Area will move forward with its long-awaited high school renovation after bids were approved by the school board Monday night.
Bids proposed last week — for general contracting, electrical, HVAC and plumbing work — came in just under $119 million, about $30 million lower than an estimate pitched about 2½ years ago. Work is expected to begin June 1 and wrap up by June 2029.
The bids were approved in an 8-0 vote. Board member Mike Alfery was absent.
Board member Lindsay Stevens said the reduced cost for the project reflects careful planning by district officials and the school board.
“The project’s been a long time coming,” she said, “and it’s exciting to see the momentum for it.”
Vince DeAugustine, chair of the board’s buildings and grounds committee, thanked the district’s owner’s rep — McKinley Architecture and Engineering — and architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates for their work on the project.
“This isn’t just about construction,” DeAugustine said. “It’s about planning wisely for the future of our students and community. By bringing the right experts to the table and insisting on thorough public oversight, we were able to reset the process and achieve bids that align with our financial commitments.
“I’m so incredibly proud of how our team stayed focused through public scrutiny and challenging market conditions, and I can’t wait to celebrate groundbreaking this spring.”
Innovation a focal point for renovation
A two-story addition on the front of the school, connecting the auditorium to the pool, is a focal point of the renovation. The district plans to use the space as an innovation center — which could include a media center, an innovation lab, collaborative spaces for students and flexible-use classrooms.
Stevens is most excited about the integration of modern technology in the renovation plan.
“It’s about investing in the future of our students and the future of our community,” she said of the project.
Board member Tracy Miller initially was hesitant about including an addition in the renovation.
“I was never in favor of an addition, but that new addition is going to give us so many more opportunities to provide so much more for our students when they get to this high school — different curriculum, better opportunities for whatever (path) they want to go down,” she said. “And I’m so excited to see that opportunity for these kids.”
Board member Daniel Graft said he believes the renovation will set Hempfield Area apart from other neighboring districts.
“When I ran for the board, I told people I wanted this district to be the best district in the county,” he said. “I think this, among other things, is what is going to put us as the best school in Westmoreland County.”
The renovation plan was designed with the district’s future in mind, said board President Jerry Radebaugh.
“Other than some additions and some fixes here and there, it’s really been since 1954 that our building has gone through anything like this,” he said. “We weren’t building a building for today. We had to think of 20, 30, 40 years into the future.”
Superintendent Mark Holtzman referred to the renovation as “possibly the most exciting thing I’ve ever been a part of in my career” before distributing the district’s Spartan of the Month award to nine students — one from each of the district’s school buildings.
“Those little ones that were just standing here, they get to go to that school,” he said, referencing the Spartan of the Month recipients. “Those young people, they don’t know how excited they are yet to get to go to that school. … If that doesn’t make it worthwhile and (worth) all the struggle, then nothing does.”
The addition — as well as upgrades to the swimming pool, auditorium and high school and field house roofs — will be completed in the first phase.
The second phase will address classrooms, the cafeteria and the library. The final phase will expand the field house lobby, rework the parking lot and renovate the inside of the field house and the back section of the high school.
District began renovation discussions in 2020
The high school renovation has been a topic of discussion among district officials, parents and students for more than five years.
More on the project:
• Hempfield school leaders take first steps toward feasibility study to rebuild or renovate high school
• Hempfield Area OKs study for renovating or rebuilding high school
• Hempfield School Board decides to tear down existing high school to its bare bones, building up from there
• Hempfield moves forward with borrowing plan for school construction
• Hempfield high school renovation project receives $128 million budget approval
• Hempfield high school project cost rises to $132 million
• Hempfield high school project plan is millions of dollars over budget, must be revised
• Hempfield reviews visions for high school renovation project after construction stalled last year
• Hempfield Area drafts 3D designs for high school renovation
• Hempfield Area School Board reopens bidding for $150 million high school project
• Hempfield high school renovation bids come in about $30 million lower than projected
A feasibility study was approved in December 2020 and advanced in April 2021 when the school board hired Minnesota-based SitelogIQ to complete the nine-month assessment for $22,500.
The school board decided in March 2022 to gut and renovate the building, initiating a borrowing plan the following month to pay for the project. The project was initially assigned a $128 million budget in January 2023, which climbed to $132 million that June.
The project was put on pause in August 2023 when bids for the first phase of the project came in higher than expected. At the time, architects estimated the entire project would cost between $148 million and $150 million. That range was calculated by adding the bids that came in for the first phase of work and estimates for the second phase.
Holtzman noted the current version of the project is more comprehensive than the 2023 iteration, covering the entirety of the three-phase master plan.
The district brought the project back on track in 2024, laying out revised visions for the renovation that October. The board advanced schematic designs in May 2024, and district officials drafted 3D designs three months later.