Chief Operations Officer John Reedy
The Harrisburg school district could end up spending around $6.5 million to demolish William Penn, according to a Tuesday night presentation by a district official.
Chief Operations Administrator John Reedy told school board members that the district has received a $6.2 million bid from the Gordian Group to raze the building, plus quotes for the removal of asbestos discovered during the demo process ($200,000) and on-site airborne asbestos testing during demolition ($100,000).
“We want to ensure that the air around the building is safe for the middle schoolers,” said Reedy, referencing the neighboring Camp Curtin school.
The demolition of the 100-year-old building, pitched to begin this summer, would take an estimated six to eight months to complete.
While some asbestos removal was completed in 2023, after a fire collapsed a roof over part of the building, this removal was based on a 1997 asbestos survey that proved incomplete. Reedy estimated about $1.1 million had been used for this prior removal that they had assumed “covered all the asbestos.”
Reedy said that an asbestos audit conducted at William Penn last week revealed that the building’s windows are glazed with asbestos. There is also asbestos on a portion of the roof, he said, and asbestos tile hidden under a layer of regular tile in a portion of the 15-year vacant building.
Another quote is in the works for later this month on asbestos removal services needed prior to demolition, Reedy said.
School district administrators
Also included in the price of demolition is the preservation of about 20 facades from the building, including carved words and gargoyle statutes. They would be preserved for future projects, said Reedy, to commemorate William Penn. At least 300 bricks from the building will be preserved for members of the community, he added.
The price also includes testing to confirm that the soil at the filled demolition site would be supportive enough to put another building where William Penn stood, if ever needed.
Proposed contractors on the project include Lobar Associates (project manager), Gundy Excavating (demolition contractor), the Baxter Environmental Group (asbestos removal contractor) and Dirty Dog Hauling (debris removal).
Board members are expected to vote later this month on whether to accept the demolition bid.
The Harrisburg School Board
Proposed summer upgrades for Lincoln Elementary, located in Allison Hill, will also be up for a vote at the school board’s next meeting.
The administration has proposed using $1.8 million from the capital reserve fund to paint the interior of the building and install new stair treads, LED lights, ceiling tiles, bathroom partitions and a new gym floor.
Board members unanimously approved a comprehensive academic plan Tuesday, as is required every three years by the state’s education department.
Presented by administrators during the meeting, the plan set goals for Harrisburg, including getting math proficiency levels for grades 3 to 8 up to 16% and English language arts proficiency levels up to 26% over the next three years. It also set a goal of increasing student attendance across the district from 49% to 52% by 2029.
Board President Roslyn Copeland indicated that, moving forward, the board wants school board members attending in-person, rather than online. Board members Jamie Johnsen, Danielle Robinson and Ellis Roy joined Tuesday’s meeting virtually.
Board member Terricia Radcliff was absent from the meeting.
School Board President Roslyn Copeland
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