State College, Pa., High School Could Cost $101 Million

By Anne Danahy, The Centre Daily Times, State College, Pa.

Oct. 18–STATE COLLEGE — The State College Area school board took a look at plans for rebuilding the high school Monday night and seemed happy with preliminary designs.

The project will consolidate ninth through 12th grades, which are now based in two buildings, into one building. The high school’s South Building will be torn down, and the space will be used for athletic fields.

The plan could cost $101 million, according to the cost estimate the board received Monday night. The board will receive a more precise schematic cost estimate Nov. 9.

When the board picked a general design plan for the high school, the cost estimate was $80 million to $91 million.

Since then the cost and size have grown. Ed Poprik, director of physical plant, said that the district administration spent many hours working with the architects and high school teachers and administrators to come up with recommendations about what should be included. He said they tried to balance the needs of the academic programs with fiscal responsibility.

Board President Susan Werner raised the question of whether the board should consider finding ways to lower the cost given that the current estimate is higher than the previous one.

“I’m satisfied with this but I know that there are people in the public that are going to say, ‘This is beyond the parameters you first established,” Werner said.

“This is no Taj Mahal,” said board member Donna Queeney. She said the board could encourage the architects to find ways to be economical without being cheap.

“I don’t think we want to end up with something that doesn’t meet our needs,” Queeney said.

Richard O’Donald with architect L. Robert Kimball & Associates said the latest schedule has the project going out to bid in October 2006 and construction beginning in January 2007. Construction would be finished mid-way through the 2009-10 school year.

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