Joseph P. Ashkar Elementary School construction project costs reduced, but still over budget

Aug 11, 2023

An early proposal for the building project for Ashkar Elementary School in Hughesville. PHOTO PROVIDED

HUGHESVILLE — East Lycoming School Board was given an updated cost of $37 million for construction and final cost projection of a redesigned and multi-generational use of Joseph P. Ashkar Elementary School.

That is down from the original $44 million presented, but still more than originally estimated and what the district has available.

Architects and district administration are still working to find ways to reduce costs.

Dr. Mark Stamm, superintendent, noted “the clock is ticking” on the use of a $25 million bond issue for the project.

This week, a representative from Marotta/Main Architects of Lancaster, updated board members and answered questions on the progress towards the redesign and rebid of the project.

An initial inspection took about two and a half hours and involved going inside the building and the entire perimeter of the building and then reviewing the 2021 findings to see how they actually compared with what Fidevia had observed during an initial visit.

Several deficiencies jumped out that will absolutely need to be addressed in the very near future, the Fidevia representative remarked.

The exterior walls have issues with the pointing of the brick and mortar throughout both the existing Ashkar facility and the addition done in the mid-90s.

In classrooms, inspection shower popped ceiling tiles, and HVAC issues that will absolutely need to be addressed no matter what work is done with the building.

Inspection revealed a lot of issues with humidity, water infiltration throughout the building, an outdated electrical system and leaks in the roofing along with the drainage system on the roof.

The recent inspection aligned to what was outlined before.

The prior cost estimate for the total project was about $44 million.

Marotta/Main redrew and cut that by several million, bringing it closer to $37 million.

The architects have been working through some of the cost-saving measures from deleting the district gym to some other items such as less costly building materials.

One of the big pieces was the 12,000 square feet that was deleted from the gym and the locker rooms that were removed from the scope and that equates to about $4 million dollars in savings.

One of the other big cost savings pieces seen in a rendering is a change from a slope roof to a flat roof that saves on the structural cost and carries the same 30-year warranty.

Changes were made to the mechanical system and $280,000 removed because asbestos abatement was not necessary.

The firm continues to update the drawings and will move forward with the intention to put the project out for rebid in September, and bring those bids to present to board meeting for potential approval in October or in November.

With the redesign the project remains on schedule and several companies indicated some interest to bid again, the board was told.

Recognizing that the board has time constraints on spending of the bond monies, the administration is preparing an alternative plan to address various capital projects throughout the district in the event that the bids for Ashkar are again over budget, Stamm said.

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