Fire alarm fixes planned for summer
District takes aim at long-term project list
LANSDALE » The North Penn School District’s todo list is a long one, but could get shorter this coming summer.
District officials started talks Monday night on a series of projects meant to start chipping away at the district’s long-term capital list.
“One thing we were looking at were some of the highest-priority items,” said director of facilities and operations Tom Schneider.
“We tried to select those items that are similar, and alike, so we’re looking at an upgrade of fire alarm systems,” he said.
Over the past several years staff and the school board have worked to compile a full list of all repairs, upgrades, and replacements needed in all district facilities, ranking them by several criteria included expected life span, time since last repair or replacement, impact on students and more. Schneider told the committee on Monday night that the top of that list is largely projects that could be tackled in larger, building-wide renovation projects, but staff are aiming to tackle several smaller ones soon.
“A lot of those items are at North Penn High School, the Educational Services Center, Penndale (Middle School), and these are some of the buildings that could potentially have future renovations,” he said.
Next on the list, and identified by staff now, are upgrades to fire alarms and water heating systems at Bridle Path, Gwynedd Square, Oak Park, Walton Farm, and Gwyn Nor elementary schools and Pennbrook Middle School, all of which are relatively similar and in need of work.
“Some of the equipment inside the alarm panels is no longer serviceable, and parts are hard to find, so we’re recommending to do a fire alarm project this summer, as a capital project,” he said. Total fire alarm system upgrades at Bridle Path, Oak Park and Walton Farm are estimated to cost around $200,000 each, while panel upgrades at Gwyn Nor and Pennbrook are estimated at about $50,000 each, and water heater upgrades at Gwynedd Square, Walton Farm and Bridle Path are each estimated at about $20,000, producing a total combined cost around $810,000.
Up for committee and board approval first are two contracts with outside engineering firm Snyder Hoffman Inc., one for just below $25,000 for engineering design and management for the fire alarm systems and another for just under $13,000 for the same service for the water heating projects.
“Their scope of work would include the design drawings for each of the projects, specifications, review of the submittal process, and also construction administration,” Schneider said.
Board member Cathy Wesley asked if circulator pumps would be included in the water heater repairs, and Schneider said they would not, since those have typically been replaced recently as old ones fail.
Board member Jonathan Kassa added that capital projects are where surplus funds in the district budget have been transferred at year-end, to tackle projects like those on the list.
“That’s what this is, getting on the right path, so I really want to commend you for this level of detail and planning, and helping us make strategic, methodical decisions for how taxpayer money is spent,” he said.
Board President Tina Stoll added that she thought the board was “this close, last year, to figuring out how to do the ninth grade center,” which could have been the first phase of a larger high school renovation, and asked that staff take another look at that project soon, in order to repair or replace the items graded highest in need of repair.
“There are a lot of fives at the high school, and things aren’t getting any better with time. It’s really kind of jarring to see how many things are in need of repair up at the high school, and I just want to make sure that we don’t lose focus on that,” Stoll said.
The committee then voted ahead the two contracts for full board approval, which could happen when that board next meets at 7 p.m. on Feb. 9.