DV career-tech progresses

DAVID HULSE
Posted 8/21/12

WESTFALL PA — The buzz of construction continues in and around the Delaware Valley School District’s Westfall campus. A new high school gymnasium is finished, the old elementary school has been …

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DV career-tech progresses

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WESTFALL PA — The buzz of construction continues in and around the Delaware Valley School District’s Westfall campus. A new high school gymnasium is finished, the old elementary school has been demolished to make way for new parking, and the new Delaware Valley (DV) Elementary School in nearby Matamoras is open under a temporary certificate of occupancy. Now the next step is underway.

Last week the board of education approved two resolutions providing up to $100,000 for architects’ preparation of construction documents for a proposed $10.5 million career technical education (CTE) addition, which would adjoin the DV Middle School at the southern end of the campus.

The second called on architects to include, “for purposes of permitting only,” a 4,000-square-foot maintenance building, which would replace a smaller garage and several storage trailers now in use. The maintenance building would be funded separately from the CTE proposal.

But the new initiatives were not unanimously approved.

Board member Jack O’Leary called for a pause while the final wrap-up of the DV Elementary School is completed. O’Leary, who works in the construction industry, cautioned that the end of any large job is often the time when legal issues and lawsuits arise, and he advised putting the new directive off until October. “I’ve supported CTE, but I like to finish one thing before I start something new… I’d love to say ‘yes’,’ but I have to say ‘no.’” he said.

Board President Pam Lutfy said there has been no word of litigation, but Superintendent Dr. John Bell was cautious, saying there are no potential litigation issues attached to the DV Elementary School project “that I’m going to discuss publicly.”

Marvin Eversdyke, director of support services, was concerned about the still unapproved CTE proposal conflicting with work on the maintenance building. “You want [the permit] on the CTE. I want it on my building. That’s not what I wanted… If the permits are tied, you won’t get a permit until you decide what it’s going to be,” he said.

Lutfy said it was not what the board wanted either. The CTE project still must win a majority vote of the board, she added.

The CTE project’s last board vote came this April, when a similarly worded and funded resolution, which omitted the maintenance building, was approved. That resolution was rescinded last week. As he did last spring, Bell argued that the cost and delay in preparing two separate PA Department of Environmental Protection permit applications made joining the two plans essential.

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