The William Penn task force met on Thursday
A big group of people have come together to make a big decision about Harrisburg’s William Penn school building.
The Harrisburg School District on Thursday brought together residents and local officials for a meeting on the future of the long vacant, blighted building.
Receiver Dr. Lori Suski appointed the task force in September, in an effort to let the community explore alternatives to demolishing William Penn.
In June, Suski approved the demolition of the building, but then halted that plan in August, stating that she wanted to take a step back and allow the community to weigh in.
“If the administration had to go back and do things over again, we would have definitely done things differently,” said Superintendent Eric Turman at Thursday’s meeting. “But do understand that the administration at this time has taken several steps back to be able to process and listen.”
At the meeting, a majority of the members of a task force of about 26 people met to discuss possible options for the building.
According to district officials, all options are on the table, which could include demolishing the building and keeping the land, selling all or a portion of the property, or keeping the building for future use, among other alternatives.
Task force member and the city’s Chief Equity and Compliance Officer, Karl Singleton, shared that he would like to see the district keep the building and possibly renovate it in phases, rather than all at once.
According to John Reedy, district chief of operations, the district has received estimates that a complete renovation of William Penn could total $85 to $100 million.
The district currently has $25.9 million in its capital reserves. Based on a recent 10-year feasibility study, the district determined that, in that time period, its existing, operating buildings will need over $100 million in maintenance and upgrades, not including possible new renovation projects.
According to officials, the district is also paying $19 million yearly in bond debt obligations and wouldn’t be able to borrow money from the bank until 2035 at the earliest.
“If there is going to be any project at all with William Penn, on the district’s side, it is going to require some sort of creative financing,” Suski said.
At the meeting, district and task force officials discussed possible alternative funding sources.
Task force members also weighed the option of using the building for a possible new vo-tech school or space for adult education.
Thursday’s meeting was the second of six task force meetings. Additional meetings are open to the public and will take place on the following dates:
- Nov. 2
- Nov. 16
- Dec. 7
- Dec. 21
All meetings will be held in the district’s Lincoln Administration Building, 1601 State St., Harrisburg.
According to Suski, at the end of all the meetings, the task force will present a plan, which she will need to approve.
“Our hope is that the conversation will start to come together around a cohesive idea,” she said.
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