Plan for new facility scrapped, for now
Officials prefer rebuilding at current site
The Exeter Township School Board will not pursue a township zoning variance to build a new school bus facility near the Owatin Creek Elementary School.
At a virtual meeting Tuesday, the board voted 6-3 against authorizing district administrators to work with AEM Architects Inc., Exeter Township; land surveyor Stackhouse Bensinger Inc., Spring Township; and district solicitor Ellis Katz to seek the necessary zoning variances for a new transportation center at the Owatin Creek site.
Dr. David Hemberger, Dr. Sharon McClendon and Michele Stratton voted yes.
The motion had been postponed in September, but was added to Tuesday’s voting meeting agenda after a discussion at a committee of the whole meeting Jan. 5.
Those voting no said they favor a less expensive option that would level most of the existing depot at the intersection of Shelbourne and Kerr roads and rebuild on its footprint.
“There is some level of appeal to the idea of saving money,” Hemberger said, “but it (rebuilding on the Kerr Road site) eliminates the benefits of expansion.”
The Owatin Creek site is preferable, he said, because it could be made more secure, is on a less heavily traveled road and provides room for expansion and a fueling station.
The current facility is along busy Shelbourne Road, hemmed in by residential development and has limited space. For years, district officials have said it is deteriorating, inadequate, unsafe and in need of replacement.
Controversy over the issue dates to 2015 when the district proposed building a $3.4 million transportation facility on the Owatin Creek site.
The proposal was unpopular with residents, who dubbed the planned facility “Garage Mahal” due to its size and cost.
The township zoning hearing board rejected the plans, and the district appealed, but lost in Berks County Court.
In the meantime, district officials said the existing structure has deteriorated further. The condition is at the point where something must be done this year, Dr. Kimberly Minor, superintendent, said.
In September, AEM Architects Inc. presented the board with revised plans for a new transportation center at Owatin Creek. Although the size was reduced to 9,950 square feet from the previously planned 12,400 square feet, the estimated cost, $4.2 million was higher due to inflation.
Brian D. Feick, business administrator, said the roof on the current facility is in major need of repair and that a large portion of the structure is useless.
Razing all or most of the existing structure and building on the same footprint would eliminate the need for a stormwater management plan and any zoning variances and cost less, about $1.5 million.
An additional 5,000 square feet of vehicle and other storage space could be recouped by demolishing unusable and partially collapsed attached sheds on the site. This would bring the total square footage to 7,000.
However, a rebuild would not eliminate the parking problem on the site, Feick said. Some of the buses, vans and employees’ vehicles would have to be parked on a different site.
“The school district is in the business of education,” Allison Wilson, school board president, said. “Our resources should be focused on helping to get students the best education.”
Katz told the board members that Tuesday’s vote against pursuing a variance does not prevent the board from introducing the same or similar motion in the future.
Further options for the district transportation center will be discussed at a committee of the whole meeting Feb. 2. Check the district’s website for a link to the livestreamed meeting.