CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors approved authorizing the PlanCon process for the Clearfield Elementary School expansion project at its regular meeting Monday night.
Last month, Superintendent Dr. Thomas B. Otto recommended the district consolidate the Centre, Bradford and Girard-Goshen elementary schools and the Clearfield Middle School, moving kindergarten through grades six into an expanded and renovated Clearfield Elementary School. If approved, this would cost the district $8.9 million.
At the work session last week, District Architect J. Greer Hayden of HHSDR Architects/Engineers suggested the district initiate this project now by approving the submission of PlanCon Part A and Part B to the state’s Department of Education. He told the board that Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget proposes changes to the state’s reimbursement program.
According to Hayden, the governor’s budget proposal has a one-year moratorium for accepting new applications to the state’s PlanCon program. PlanCon is an acronym for “Planning and Construction Workbook,” and it’s a series of forms and processes that must be completed and complied with when a district is getting reimbursement from the state. When beginning a major construction project and wanting reimbursement for it, the district must initiate the PlanCon process.
“It hasn’t been adopted yet. But I would submit PlanCon now and get in the pipeline for reimbursement, so you don’t get frozen out,” Hayden said. He said the district’s reimbursement would be approximately $2.8 million for the CES expansion and renovation project.
Even if Corbett’s budget passes with the proposed moratorium, the district would still receive its reimbursement. However, it would likely take longer for it to be received because of the high volume of school districts submitting projects, Business Administrator Sam Maney said.
“We’re just getting in the pipeline,” said board President Dave Glass. “We haven’t made a decision. If we don’t do this now, it may cost us later.”
In addition, the board approved advertising for a 780 hearing for the Girard-Goshen Elementary School. The public hearing has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 at the middle school auditorium.
Before the closure of any school building, the district must advertise its consideration of the same for 15 days prior to the Act 780 public hearing. By law, Act 780 is a public hearing, required by school districts before consolidation can be considered. In addition, it must be held no less than three months before a decision can be made.
Girard-Goshen has been temporarily closed since November 2010. At that time, approximately 70 students and faculty were relocated into the CES, where they’re currently resuming their education.
Glass said at this time, if the district approved closing Girard-Goshen, it would affect approximately 66 students. He said the district is still in litigation, and neither he nor Otto could foresee the building being utilized in the immediate future.
If the consolidation is approved this summer, Hayden wants he district to begin advertising an Act 34 public hearing Aug. 31 with it being conducted Sept. 20. By law, Act 34 requires a public hearing for all new construction as well as for any substantial additions.
If approved, the district would receive bids and award the contracts in March of 2013. The CES renovation and expansion project would then begin in May of that year and be completed in August of 2014, according to a prior GantDaily report.
