Littlestown approves $53.5

With two unanimous 9-0 votes, the Littlestown Area School District Board of Directors gave final approval to a $53.5 million building project to combine grades 6 through 12 into one expanded building.

Project construction is slated to begin next month with a completion date of late 2025. The two votes approved awarding the construction bids and authorized the district to sell bonds to pay for the bulk of the project.

The construction/expansion plans for the high school will allow for an additional 400-plus students at the new middle school-high school complex.

Use of the existing middle school, Maple Avenue Middle School, constructed in 1932, will cease once the project is complete. The middle school and acreage will likely be sold once the building project is completed.

The district, through PFM Financial Advisors, along with Raymond James Financial, will be selling tax-free municipal bonds to pay for the largest portion of the building project.

The project once completed will have the district’s 6th through 8th grade students moving to a combined middle-high school structure. Middle school students and their academic space will occupy the second floor with high school students and classes occupying the first floor and portions of the second floor.

The existing building totals approximately 185,930 square feet on three floors. When complete, the new secondary school will total 248,974 square feet on three floors.

This work is to be completed on the existing 28-acre site and adjacent parcel comprising the remainder of the District’s academic campus. The existing grades 9-12 high school facility will remain in operation, with the work conducted through a phased-in construction process.

“The district has done an excellent job planning this project out and the financial pre-planning has really paid off to the benefit of the district’s future and for the taxpayers,” said Brad Remig, PFM Financial Advisors LLC managing director.

As part of the approved bond funding for the project, the district will be refinancing 2015 bonds that were used to upgrade portions of Alloway Creek Elementary School. Those bonds become eligible for refinancing this year. It is anticipated that the refinancing will save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The district began investigating and planning for this new project in 2015.

According to the Littlestown Area School District Superintendent Chris Bigger, once this project is completed the district will have reduced its footprint from five buildings down to three and will have eliminated more than 150,00 square feet of building space that the district does not have to upgrade, clean, maintain, heat, etc.

“This district has come a long way in in the past several years and I am proud of the planning we have done, and we are setting up the district for the next 50 years,” said Bigger.

The superintendent listed a number of upgrades within the district that were completed with both taxpayer funds and large donations from the community in the past several years.

“We built at stadium to improve our athletic programs with the help of more than $575,000 in community donations, Hanover Architectural Products donated more than $200,000 to design and build outdoor classrooms for Alloway Creek elementary school students, the district has had many other private donations that ultimately has saved taxpayers money. This district had received tremendous support from the community, and I am very thankful and appreciative of support,” said Bigger.

Bigger listed other improvements that have been made.

“We have combined the two elementary schools that has led to greater staff efficiencies and much greater curriculum with a STEAM Class (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) for all of our elementary school students,” said Bigger.

Bigger also cited the district’s 2020 demographic study that showed district enrollment flatlining and beginning to decrease in the coming years as another reason to reduce the district’s footprint in regard to buildings and square feet.

“We are already starting to see changes in enrollment along with the number of students on our campus, so this project is preparing the district for the future of education in Littlestown,” said Bigger.

Bigger also noted the transparency the district has followed through this entire project.

“There is a website that the district keeps up to date that includes all meetings, staff suggestions, stakeholder input, and updates to the planning that has gone into this project,” said Bigger. The website Bigger referred to is https://littlestownasdpa.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fss

Bids awarded

Randy Blaydon from RLPS Architects, LLP reviewed building project bids with board members.

Blaydon reported that the bids came in lower than anticipated and all portions of the bidding process received multiple bids which kept the bidding competitive.

Total primary construction bid costs came in at just over $42 million. When project soft costs (design costs, local and state permit fees, and project contingency fees) are added, the total cost for the project at $49.5 million.

In addition to the expansion to the current high school building, the board approved several add-ons to the project, these included: four new tennis courts, replacement of four heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) rooftop units, upgrades to HVAC systems to classrooms on the first and second floors of the high school and the Blue gym, a new multi-purpose room, a new canopy construction for the front of the high school building, renovations to the performing arts are behind the stage, 1960’s wing window replacement and a new emergency responder radio system. These projects add approximately $4.4 million to the project cost.

As the building project moves into it final stages, the district will be contributing $6 million from its fund balance. The district has been setting aside funds garnered through tax increases since 2020 to contribute to the project.

“From the beginning of this project it was always the goal of the district to save and then contribute a sizeable amount of funding for this project and the $6 million will fulfill that goal,” said Littlestown Area School District Business Manager Tom Showvaker.

Board President Dolores Nester thanked the current board for their steadfast support and the time they have put in to get the building project to this point.

“We have been at this for five years and we are finally able to give the students in the district a state of the art and modern building that they truly deserve,” said Nestor.

Public comment

District resident and school board candidate Duane Sullivan spoke out against the building project and the cost associated with the project.

“The taxpayers of this district can’t afford the tax increases that are baked into this project,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan, who is running for a position on the school board in the November general election, stated that if the current board approves this project, he cannot tell voters he will not raise taxes.

“This board is tying the hands of future boards when it comes to tax increases and future spending by the district,” added Sullivan.

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