School to borrow $10 million for upgrade to tech wing

By Anya Tikka
DINGMAN TOWNSHIP — The Delaware Valley school board agreed to borrow $10 million for construction upgrades that will accommodate the high school's expanding Career Tech Education (CTE) program.
CTE is introducing some offerings meant to help students planning to join the workforce after graduation, starting with an enhanced unit on automotive emissions. Programs in the health occupations, food services, electrical work, building and construction services, business and marketing, and early childhood education will be added in the future.
“You need to advertise if you want to vote legally in January, if you want to borrow ten million," board secretary Brian Hessling advised board members at their last meeting of the year. "How quickly do we want to do this?”
He said advertising "would put it out there legally, and it gives you the ability to do it any time in future. We’re not saying we’ll do it at a certain date.”
Don Flynn of Burkavage Design Associates (BDA) Architects went over the new plans with the board. BDA was hired to renovate and the CTE wing and build additions at a fee of 6.5 percent. The fee includes previously billed charges and the hire of an education consultant, Dr. Clyde Hornberger.
“The CTE plan has open space," Flynn said. "It’s not complicated. We modified the end of the building to modify the size of the locker rooms — a change in plans. It’s also not showing the law enforcement program."
Superintendent John Bell said space for the homeland security program has not yet been added to the plans. The open space is large enough for the welding program, he said.
The board also contracted with Quandel Construction Group as construction estimators and managers at the pre-construction and bid award phase for $46,000; the post-award scheduling phase for $10,000; and the construction and closeout phase at $30,000 per month.
Architects and school administrators will determine how long the project will take during the design development phase.
The board also authorized the district’s financial advisor and bond counsel, Public Financial Management and Rhoads & Sinon LLP, to prepare a proposal for the $10 million bond.
Juggling numbers saved some money, said Bell, with more juggling still to come.
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