The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

July 22, 2008

Is old school too old school? Firm to study Case’s condition

By Courtney Anderson

SHARON — Sharon City School directors in May learned it could cost more than $30 million to renovate the aged Case Avenue Elementary building.

Directors Monday unanimously agreed to hire a firm to evaluate the structural status of the building.

RCI Architects, New Castle, will look at everything from electrical, heating and plumbing facilities to flooring and brickwork and tell the district what condition the building is in, Superintendent John Sarandrea said.

Then the board will decide if they should renovate Case or look for another option.

When the board decides what direction to go, Sarandrea said they want to be able to say to the public “the experts looked at this building — here’s their diagnosis of it.”

It amounts to getting a second opinion, like folks might from a doctor, Sarandrea said.

They also don’t want citizens to be able to say that there were any hidden motives or personal agendas in the board’s decision, Sarandrea said.

The move doesn’t necessarily mean the board is looking to renovate the Case, Sarandrea said, they just want to have something concrete for the public to see regarding the state of the building.

Public sentiment, whether most folks think it’s best to build new or keep the old, depends on who you talk to, Sarandrea said.

“People are concerned about cost, as are we,” he said.

The New Castle firm was chosen for the evaluation because it does a lot of work for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sarandrea said, and not many local architectural firms will provide such a service.

The cost will depend on the scope of the work, but Sarandrea said he estimates it will cost $3,000 to $5,000. That money will come from the district capital reserve account, he said.

Sarandrea said the study should be done by Aug. 11 and that the board has set its own timetable and hopes to have a decision about what to do with the building by the end of August.

In May the district learned from Eckles Architecture in New Castle that options for a new elementary building would range in price from $18.63 million to $30.35 million.

The cheapest option the district is looking at is likely buying the former Hadley school on Boyd Drive and doubling its size to accommodate 550 students and the facilities currently located at Case, such as the family center and intermediate unit classrooms, the firm showed.

Renovating the existing Case building at a cost of $30.35 million would maintain the 1920s-vintage civic landmark of the former high school and allow potential use of the gymnasium for middle and high school activities. But the building, which has a capacity of 650 students, is larger than necessary and the current room arrangement is difficult to revise. Construction with students in the building would also be an issue.

The board in February rescinded an October 2006 decision to hire HHSDR Architects/Engineers, Sharon, as architect for the project and hired Eckles. Sarandrea said as the project progressed the majority of the board decided they felt “more comfortable” with the New Castle firm.

Sarandrea Monday said that the district never received a bill from HHSDR for work the company did on the project during its preliminary stages.

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