Is the long saga of the Hempfield Area High School renovation finally coming to an end?
No. At best, it has reached the start of the middle.
A journey that began in 2020 sputtered to get moving. Despite years of meetings and the hiring of architects, a site manager and an owner’s representative, a sixth class of seniors is about to graduate since the project was first proposed.
This wasn’t two steps forward and one step back. It was more like the Daytona 500 — circling again and again.
But on Monday, the school board approved bids totaling $119 million. That is a significant investment, but it comes in about $30 million lower than the last time the project was put out to bid.
There have been changes, including the addition of new space. The plan includes space for an innovation center, flexible classrooms and collaborative areas — a shift that reflects how education is changing, not just where it happens.
This puts the district back on track, not just for physical changes to the building but also for long-term goals in how and where ninth through 12th grade students will be educated. That is a question that has been hanging for years.
That is a good thing. The board took steps when initial bids ballooned in 2023. A $128 million project became $132 million and topped out at $148 million to $150 million before the brakes were applied. It was the right call for the district and for taxpayers.
Government needs to do this more often. If a project gets unwieldy, buckling under the burden of out-of-control costs, stopping, rethinking and potentially starting over has to be an option. We should never proceed to the end just because something is already underway.
That doesn’t mean the work of careful oversight is over. This is where it becomes more important.
Having a price come in $30 million under the previous bid might prompt a sigh of relief. But with a project of this scope, it is just as important, and maybe harder, to stay on budget.
The U.S. economy has been in flux since this project was a “what if” six years ago. It has ridden waves of highs and lows from the pandemic, economic stimulus, recovery, inflation, two presidential elections, tariffs and now a war in the Middle East.
Large projects rarely get simpler as they plod forward. If this is the start of the middle, the journey does not end until 2029. That’s a long time to stay on track.
These renovations have purpose and should benefit students and, by extension, the community.
The current economic headwinds, though, leave the district with its work cut out to keep the project on budget.