USC School Board approves $22.65 million renovation project
The Upper St. Clair School Board awarded construction contracts totaling $22.65 million for the district’s planned capital projects at its March 5 meeting.
Contracts awarded to the lowest responsible bidders were: Mucci Construction in the amount of $16,150,642 for general construction; East West Manufacturing & Supply in the amount of $2,464,550 for HVAC; Tedesco Plumbing in the amount of $1,574,500 for plumbing; and A-1 Electric in the amount of $2,468,685 for electrical.
PJ Dick, project manager during the renovations of the high school and Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools, serves as construction manager for the projects.
Projects include a new aquatics center at the high school with an eight-lane pool and separate special use pool; a new multi-use complex at the stadium, including district offices; and a structure at Boyce Middle School to accommodate restrooms/changing area, concession area and announcing booth. In addition to accommodating the district’s swim and dive teams, the warmer temperature special use pool is better suited for swim lessons for young children and programming for special needs students.
“We will be replacing an aging swimming pool with a new, larger facility that will have greater access and healthier air quality for our students,” Superintendent Patrick O’Toole said.
Much of the work within the stadium and multi-use complex, which will incorporate the district’s central offices, is needed to meet current safety and accessibility regulations.
“Our central offices are not adequately sized and not designed to maximize work productivity,” O’Toole said. “To renovate them at the present site, which we do not own, would still leave us as renters and still with inadequate space.”
Also included in the construction awards, many of which were added during the design and planning process, are the removal of a pedestrian bridge at the high school, new electrical service from Truxton Drive, stadium light pole relocations and upgrade, visitor’s side bleacher refinishing, new stadium scoreboard and sound-system, rock excavations per soils report, fencing along Washington Road, expansion of restroom counts to comply with Allegheny County requirements, and parking lot paving at Boyce field.
The project’s overall annual budget impact is equal to 0.4576 mills. The estimated annual tax increase on a homeowner with the median assessed value of $223,550 would be an additional $102.
District officials are optimistic that some of the annual budget impact will be mitigated by an anticipated increase in property tax revenue from new construction.
“In the context of the general fund budget, additional debt investments would be difficult for the district to absorb without knowing that our real estate tax base is increasing,” O’Toole said.
Construction is expected to begin within weeks and conclude in August 2019.