BY SUSAN RUMBLE

Special to The Press

Jamie Bortz, of Alloy 5 architectural firm, presented an update on the Parkland High School expansion project to the board during the Sept. 17 meeting.

Alloy 5 began the design process in January and calculated the project cost at $54,597,000.

That plan provided a total of 60,000 new square feet, including cafeteria expansion, 10,750 square feet of interior renovations, a new parking lot, site work and additional alterations.

Alloy 5 provided an option to increase the scope 25 percent larger than the original project, which it reported was based on programming with the administration and required classroom sizes.

In this scenario, the new additions would be 75,236 square feet and interior renovations would be 28,000 square feet.

The cost of this proposal is listed as $58,760,913.

The architects also supplied the option of a new athletics lobby with a cost of $2,867,549.

There would be a glass front with Home of the Trojans in silver letters above the doors.

Classroom additions with two floors would be inserted between the existing wings.

Other changes will be media center renovations, auditorium lighting replacement, a new stairway adjacent to the cafeteria, new art labs, updated science rooms and expansion of suites for counselors, nurses and psychologists.

Representatives from Alloy 5 are expected to be present at board meetings through the end of the project.

Official board action will take place in January 2025 with approval of Act 34, followed by a public hearing in February.

The bid process is schedule to began in September 2025, groundbreaking in April 2026 and project completion in July 2027.

The high school expansion is a portion of the Vision 2030 plan developed to provide for increasing enrollment in the district.

Vision 2030 also includes expansion, renovation and site improvements at Orefield Middle School.

The projected cost of Vision 2030 is $210 million.

The amount does not include options presented at the September meeting.