CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield school board is considering its next steps concerning a proposed building project at Clearfield Area Elementary School.
In March it approved an agreement with HHSDR Inc. to serve as architects for the proposed renovation and addition project.
Monday night the board was asked to consider authorization of its administration and architect to prepare documents and solicit proposals for a geotechnical investigation, as well as to prepare construction bid documents.
Previously Superintendent Terry Struble explained both the reasoning and estimated costs for the proposed project, saying in recent years, the administration has realized there’s a need for additional space in certain areas of the building.
He said the school’s need for space isn’t due to increased student enrollment, but because student needs have increased and now require additional space for faculty and staff to best meet those needs.
Struble said the district wants to look at connecting two existing wings of the building, which would allow administrators to group certain student programming/services together and shorten student travel patterns.
Struble said there are also some logistic and safety issues that need addressed like keeping grades together instead of spread out; adding an adult restroom for visitors and a second elevator; and keeping visitors out of classroom areas.
Struble has estimated that the proposed renovation and addition project would be around $17.5 to $18.5 million, according to previously-published reports.
The board will take official action next week on the pair of project requests, and can approve one or both of the administration’s requests.
For example, it can move forward with the geotechnical investigation but hold off on having construction documents prepared for solicitation of project bids.
If the board would choose not to move forward with the project, it could still consider capital projects like window replacement ($670,000) and limited HVAC work ($350,000 to $400,000).
The district, however, would not have an option to immediately move forward with the proposed security improvements without the building addition as they require changes to the building’s layout.
Struble said the district is still exploring its financing options, and if approved, it could potentially break ground on the project as soon as next fall.