William Penn
The William Penn building should be preserved and returned to educational use, says a task force formed to suggest a path forward for the blighted structure.
On Tuesday, Harrisburg School District officials heard recommendations from the 25-member task force, the culmination of several months of meetings that included presentations from groups interested in redeveloping the property.
The task force of residents, local officials and community members was formed in September as a way for the district to gather input on the fate of William Penn. Several months earlier, Receiver Dr. Lori Suski approved the demolition of the building, but halted that plan when the public pushed back.
After wrapping up its meetings last week, the task force made its final suggestions to Suski on Tuesday, advocating for retaining and strategically utilizing the property.
The task force’s top recommendation was to use William Penn to house a career and technical education program for district students, shared Sheila Dow-Ford, a facilitator for the task force.
“They want to see a skilled workforce,” Dow-Ford said. “Everyone wants viable employment for each and every student in Harrisburg as a goal. There must be career pathways.”
This could include training students for healthcare careers, as well as for first responder careers, as the group weighed a proposal from the Harrisburg Fire Bureau to create an emergency services and public education facility.
Additionally, the task force favored ideas like creating affordable housing for seniors and using outdoor space for sports fields for students.
The task force crafted its recommendations after hearing a handful of proposals from local businesses and organizations. Some presentations that the group ultimately did not draw from to make its recommendation included constructing a sports arena, an outpatient medical facility and market-rate housing.
In the end, Suski will need to make a decision on what to do with the building and how the district will financially support any construction project.
Suski approved, earlier this month, a contract with the Gordian Group to clean out debris and asbestos from the building. She also reversed her prior decision to contract with the Gordian Group to demolish the entire building. However, she shared at last week’s task force meeting that a partial demolition may still be an option.
“Do I believe that there are funding streams out there that would enable us to rehabilitate some portion of that building? Yes,” she said. “The entire building as it exists? That may be a stretch.”
Suski said that the district has received estimates that range from $50 million to $90 million to rehab the entire building. She’s also seen estimates proposing that the cost would drop to $20 million if only one-third of the building were saved.
Suski shared previously that she’s also concerned about the long-term sustainability of the facility and any programs that have been created.
“It’s not just about rehabbing a building,” she said. “You’ve got to be able to keep the lights on. Where are we going to generate the additional revenue to sustain that?”
In the meantime, the district will construct a fence along the front of the building to protect the public from falling debris. The Gordian Group also will clean out and secure a portion of the building that was damaged by an arson fire several weeks ago.
Security will be onsite 24/7 at William Penn through St. Moritz Security Services, at a cost to the district of $1,200 a day.
At last week’s task force meeting, Suski said that the district’s next step will be finding funds to support a potential building reuse project. Ultimately, she will make the decision about its future.
“Do I believe that we can fund a project that is going to give us many of the things that you would like to see? I believe that,” she said. “I am going to do everything I can to try to make that happen, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
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