South Fayette School Board approves master plan with Hayes Design Group
The South Fayette School Board last week approved a master agreement with Hayes Design Group to begin work on expansion plans that include replacing its elementary school building.
The Hayes Design Group, based in Pittsburgh, also carried out a feasibility study for the school district last year, which found student enrollment is expected to continue growing over the next several years, and the district needed more space. As it is, the district’s enrollment has increased by one-third over the last decade.
The agreement includes three projects over the next four years: building a new elementary school, and expanding the intermediate and high school buildings. The new elementary school is the foremost item on the district’s list of projects. The current building was constructed in 1970, doesn’t lend itself to additions and is not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, the new elementary school will be located at the southeast corner of the South Fayette campus, which is farther from Old Oakdale Road.
District officials outlined the expansion plans at a community meeting in January. If all goes according to schedule, the new elementary school would be completed by 2024, and the price tag for entire expansion project would come to about $83 million. Kenneth Lockette, the district’s superintendent, said a more detailed timeline would eventually be created and shared.
The Haynes Design Group has designed new buildings and created renovation plans in many districts across the region, including West Greene and Peters Township.