The Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) Board lifted roofing work from its facility improvement projects at James Gettys and Lincoln elementary schools, saving “taxpayers millions of dollars,” according to officials.
Monday was the first time officials said at a school board meeting the roofing work would be done separately from the Trane U.S. Inc., proposal.
Board President Kenneth Hassinger said Tuesday the board “took a substantial step” to see if the elementary schools’ roofs needed to be replaced after hearing public feedback at the beginning of the project last year.
“We learned it was not needed,” Hassinger said. “This board took every step along the way and will continue to take every step to ensure we are protecting the district and the community.”
Board leadership said the $2.5 million estimated roofing work was pulled out separately from the project at the committee level.
GASD Business Manager Belinda Wallen said Lincoln Elementary’s roof work is estimated to cost $1.4 million, while James Gettys is approximately $1.1 million.
School board member Tim Seigman, who also serves as chair of the finance and facilities committee, said those costs are for putting a coating on the roofs.
“We are trying to get it done as economically as possible,” Seigman said, noting that an infrared study was done on the roofs.
Board leadership said the roofs were found to be “in better shape than we thought.”
Most items, except for those related to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), were subject to line-item approval by the committee and board, according to board leadership.
The total project cost remains the same at $30.3 million and an additional $2.5 million set aside for the roofing work, according to officials.
Just a couple months ago, Dennis Rumsey, senior comprehensive solutions at Trane Technologies, presented at the school board’s Aug. 7 meeting, noting the not-to-exceed $32.8 million budget “also includes the roofing at both schools.”
School board member Michelle Smyers questioned Rumsey following another presentation Monday whether the project includes roofing work.
Rumsey said the roofs were not included in the budget presented Monday.
Smyers said Tuesday she was surprised to learn the roofing work was taken out.
“The bottom line is I asked about roofing because I didn’t see it on that list,” Smyers said.
Following the high school girls’ tennis coach situation, Smyers claimed the school board has not been including her.
“Why are we not having this conversation at the open, public meeting?” Smyers said. “People want to know what is going on. People want to know what we are doing.”
School board members said the discussions occurred at the finance and facilities committee meetings. The committee held three meetings so far this year in February, April, and September, according to the district website.
The meeting minutes from Feb. 23, April 27, and Sept. 21 do not mention the elementary school projects and are listed on the district website.
The Feb. 23 meeting minutes noted the draft capital improvement five-year plan for 2023-24 and a demographic study update.
Topics for discussion at the April 27 meeting included re-roofing costs for the district warehouse, district-wide facilities assessment concepts, and a team room assessment at Warrior Stadium, according to the minutes.
The Sept. 21 meeting minutes noted the administration building window replacement and the Franklin Township Elementary partial window replacement.
The most recent discussion appears to be the Dec. 15, 2022, committee meeting minutes, which noted “discuss upcoming board of school directors’ meeting information and action items in January 2023 for the James Gettys and Lincoln Elementary HVAC Renovation Projects.”
“This will go on as an informational item at the next board meeting,” according to the Dec. 15, 2022 meeting minutes.
During the presentation Monday, Rumsey shared the same information as before, with slight adjustments.
The Lincoln Elementary base project scope includes an $18.9 million budget, with additions ranging from caulking at windows and expansion joints and masonry to refurbishment of a pedestrian bridge at a cost of $702,083, Rumsey said.
The James Gettys base project is estimated not to exceed $10.3 million with additions of caulking at windows and expansion joints, masonry, and information technology upgrades for $353,831, Rumsey said.
The project scope for both schools includes HVAC system and building automation system upgrades, lighting upgrades, emergency generators, and fire alarm systems, Rumsey said.
Lincoln Elementary also has a sprinkler system upgrade on tap, while James Gettys includes administration reconfiguration of the offices and adding an Americans with Disabilities Act accessible restroom, according to Rumsey.
“There’s been more collaboration to get this project right than what has been done in the past 20 years,” according to board leadership.
No action was taken on the proposal, as it was listed as an informational item Monday.
Also noted at the meeting, GASD Superintendent Jason Perrin said the title for a new facilities position was switched from a construction project manager to a project manager, based on feedback from the previous meeting.
Perrin said the “budget neutral” position was added in place of an assistant director of facilities role after someone resigned.
The job description remains the same for the position, according to Perrin.
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