Archived Updates

The School Board of Wilson School District provided an opportunity to inform the public of their consideration of a project to construct a new elementary school in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The project is in response to an analysis conducted of the physical needs of the existing district buildings and academic program needs of the student population. This public hearing was held in accordance with Act 34 of 1973 of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The purpose was to have the school administration, architect and financial advisors present a proposal for the construction of additions and renovations to the existing facility.  The Act 34 Hearing was held on Monday, March 3 at 5 pm in the Board Room (2601 Grandview Blvd., West Lawn, PA).  To access the Act 34 Booklet, please click HERE.

Exciting progress on our Performing Arts Center! Structural steel installation began Monday, Dec. 16, while interior work continues. Construction is on track to be under roof by January, and everything is coming along smoothly.

A presentation regarding the status of the Lincoln Park project was presented at the public Facilities Committee meeting on Monday, December 9, 2024, and at the public Board Meeting on December 16.  The board approved moving to the construction documentation phase of the Lincoln Park project at the Monday, December 16, 2024, meeting of the Wilson School Board of Directors.

Construction of the Performing Art Center is starting to take shape! "Red Iron," or structural steel for the roof system, started on October 14. Concrete, masonry, electrical, and plumbing continue to progress nicely. 

At the October 7 meeting of the Wilson School District Board of Directors, a presentation regarding the renovation project at Wilson Southern Middle School was shared. 

The board voted to move to the construction documentation phase of the Southern Middle School project at the October 21 public board meeting.

Thanks to favorable weather and additional manpower from the masonry contractor, the construction of our new Performing Arts Center is making significant progress. Blockwork is advancing steadily, and underground work is paving the way for the upcoming development of the orchestra pit. We are committed to minimizing disruption to students and staff throughout this construction process.

An update presentation regarding Phase II (new Lincoln Park Elementary School and renovations to Southern Middle School) was presented by Crabtree Rohrbaugh and Associates at the June 10 Facilities Meeting.  A copy of that presentation can be found HERE.

Construction of the new Performing Arts Center is moving ahead quickly. Here's a quick summary of what's been happening:

• Underground Work: Utilities have been relocated, and excavation of rock for the foundation is underway. Footings are being placed to ensure a stable base.

• Interior Demolition: The old floor has been removed, and workers are compacting stone fill to prepare for new construction.

• Sprinkler Line: The underground sprinkler line is being relocated, setting the stage for the building's safety systems.

• Upcoming Work: Expect to see block walls going up vertically within the next couple of weeks.

Construction of the new Performing Arts Center is on track. The asphalt parking lot has been base coated, and the segmental retaining wall has been completed. Demolition of the existing auditorium is underway, with seating and structures being systematically removed to make room for the new facility. Reinforcing steel is set for delivery on April 10th, further solidifying the project's foundation. 

Auditorium construction is moving along smoothly, progressing alongside the completion of the underground water storage system. Asphalt installation is expected to commence in mid to late March. This will facilitate the staging of trailers in the vicinity without occupying excessive parking space. Furthermore, the cleanup of the "Plyo" room has already begun, and we will start removing salvageable items from the "old" auditorium on March 8th.

The new large segmental retaining wall will be installed, and the base paving of that area will be completed by the end of the month. “C” containers are arriving to safely store all materials deemed saved for the theatrical team. After being filled, they will be transported to a resting place along the southwest end of the George Mack parking lot. The Fallen Heroes plaques and memorabilia have been removed and safely stored in the JROTC room. Several sections of seats have been removed to be auctioned off. The Auditorium is set to be completely turned over to the contractors by our scheduled date of March 22.

FEBRUARY 2024 PERFORMING ARTS CENTER UPDATE: The underground water storage system is on track to reach subgrade for paving by the end of next week. Additionally, the demolition of the canopy has been completed, and excavation for the new construction is progressing smoothly.

Looking ahead, interior demolition is scheduled to begin on March 22. This leaves two weeks after our last performance in the existing Auditorium to remove any items from behind the stage for storage until we occupy the new facility.

FEBRUARY 22 BOARD MEETING:  A presentation regarding the proposed new Lincoln Park Elementary School and the renovations at Southern Middle School was shared during the public board meeting.  To access that presentation, click here.

DECEMBER 2023 PERFORMING ARTS CENTER UPDATE: The Wilson School District held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Performing Arts Center on Thursday, December 21, marking the beginning of a transformative journey for the District's commitment to the arts. 

Throughout the event, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy refreshments and musical performances by the talented students of Wilson High School, setting the stage for a celebration of the arts and the bright future that lies ahead for Wilson School District.

The new Performing Arts Center is poised to become a hub of creativity, innovation, and community engagement and is scheduled to open in Fall 2025.

JANUARY 2024 UPDATE: We successfully conducted the pre-construction meeting with the Conservation District. We are pleased to announce that our Chapter 102 permit is officially signed and delivered. This critical permit grants us the authorization to install Best Management Practices (BMPs) for erosion control, ensuring environmental sustainability throughout the construction process.

The initial stages of the project have seen notable progress. Clearing and grubbing operations are mostly complete, setting the stage for the next construction steps. We are now prioritizing asphalt cutting and additional erosion control installations to fortify the site against potential environmental impacts.

The electric infrastructure has been safely disconnected. This development now allows for the removal of the old canopy and the start of the demolition phase.

At the November 7, 2023 meeting of the Wilson School Board, the board voted to approve the following bids for the Performing Arts Center project:

• General Construction: Steubner General Contractors: $14,686,000 with selected alternate of $620,000, for a total of $15,306,000

• HVAC Construction: JBM Mechanical, Inc.: $2,870,000

• Plumbing Construction: Jay R. Reynolds: $844,600

• Electrical Construction: Hirneisen Electric, Inc: $2,159,000 with selected alternate of $2,200, for a total of $2,161,200

Total bids (with recommended alternates): $21,181,800

To review the presentation board presentation of the bids, click here. 

• District administration worked to develop a recommendation for Phase 2, designed to address the increased enrollment in our elementary schools and the need to renovate Southern Middle School.

• At the August 7, 2023, meeting of the Wilson School Board, Crabtree, Rohrbach, and Associates presented an update on the auditorium project.    You can review that presentation here.  

• Conducted a community Thoughtexchange to gather feedback on the Phase 2 proposal.  You can view the results of that exchange here.

• At the August 21, 2023, meeting of the Wilson School Board, Dr. Chris Trickett presented an update on the proposed Phase 2 project.  The Wilson School Board approved the authorization of the addendum to the contract with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates to enter the schematic design phase for the comprehensive additions and renovations to Southern Middle School and the new Lincoln Park Elementary School, inclusive of the investigative process necessary to design. 

To watch the public presentation of the recommendations, click here.

• Also, at the August 21, 2023 meeting of the Wilson School Board, the Board approved authorizing Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates to prepare and issue bid packages for the proposed performing arts center/ high school renovation project (Phase 1).

• At the March 6, 2023 meeting of the Wilson School Board, Crabtree, Rohrbach, and Associates presented an update on the auditorium project.  You can review that presentation here.  The board approved going to the design development phase at the March 20, 2023 board meeting.

• At the October 17, 2022 meeting of the Wilson School Board, Crabtree, Rohrbach, and Associates presented a revised concept for the High School Performing Arts renovation.  You can review that presentation here.  The board voted to move forward with the design at the November 7, 2022 meeting.

• Conducted an updated enrollment projection study.

• At the April 18, 2022 meeting of the Wilson School Board, the board voted to reject the bids for both the High School renovation projects and the fields project.  District administration will develop a timeline for next steps to present to the board for consideration.

View the presentation from the March 28 board workshop

COMPLETED TASKS TO DATE:

• Bids received for High School construction/ renovation project and shared with the Board

• Bids for High School fields project to be received Friday, April 8, 2022

• Finance committee meeting- April 12, 2022 at 5:30 pm

Next steps:

• Board to  review bids and determine next steps

View the presentation from the December 20, 2021 board meeting

COMPLETED TASKS TO DATE:

• Continued meetings with District Administration.

• Conducted final meetings with faculty and staff to review interiors layouts.

• Submitted drawing review set to Kraft Code Services.

• Reviewed phasing concepts with likely GC bidders.

• Jurisdiction review and comments for Land Development in progress.

• Prepared detailed cost estimate.

• Continued interior designs and initiated finish concepts.

• Construction Documents at about 90-95% completion.

• Acoustical Consultant reviewing and providing recommendations for Auditorium and Black Box performance spaces.

Next steps:

• Agenda item on January 18, 2022 board meeting autorizing the project to go out for bid-- motion passed.  Project has since gone out to bid.

• District will be holding a joint Facilities, Finance and Extra Curricular meeting on April 11 at 4:30 pm in the Board Room to discuss the bids received for the Phase 1 project.

View the presentation from the Joint Meeting of the Finance and Facilities Committees.

• Continued meetings with District Administration. 

• Conducted final meetings with faculty and staff to review interiors layouts. 

• Met with Kraft Code Services (local code officials). 

• Ongoing stage equipment package with Administration and Faculty. 

• Submitted Land Development package to the Township (Sept. 30). 

• Prepared detailed cost estimate. 

• Continued interior designs and initiated finish concepts. 

• Generation of the Construction Documents package.

Held a joint facilities, finance, and extracurricular committee meetings scheduled on Monday, December 13 at 4:30 pm

Board approved the motion to authorize to engage Crabtree, Rohrbaugh, & Associates to complete the final design and construction phase of architectural services for the comprehensive additions and renovations for Wilson High School. 

Continued design development:

1. Site:  parking layout – K&W to provide proposed site plan to review 

2. Met with district on 5/5 to review first round of room layouts

3. CRA to provide updated budget estimate (including breakout of alternates).

4. Further development of floor plans (conducted internal design review with Director of Design)

5. Conducted coordination meeting on 5/6 with engineers and district.

• Scheduled coordination meeting with theatre consultant and district  to review stage equipment, etc.

• Scheduled final food service meeting with consultant and district.

• Scheduled follow-up meeting with band/choral/orchestra to review specific questions with representatives from these departments.

• Provided timelines for proposed Phase 2 options. 

• Received remaining site survey information. 

• Schedule final food service meeting with consultant and district.

• In process of completing schematic design:

• Finalizing floor plans (sizes and locations of spaces) in the proposed additions

• Exterior elevations/floor level concepts

• Programming discussions regarding existing spaces

• Considering including overhead doors to allow for pass through toward Gurski Stadium

• Discussing the underground water storage

• Auditorium will have a floor (900) and a balcony (300)

• Ground-penetrating radar work complete.  

• Geotech engineering work complete.  Report anticipated to be received in the next two weeks.

• Wilson School District administration visited Crabtree to review the plans in 3D.

• Held a public Board Work Session to discuss Phase 2 of the contruction project.  You can watch this meeting here.

• On Monday, March 8, 2021 ,the Wilson School Board held a public work session to provide an update and discuss next steps regarding the High School building/ renovation project.  The presentation that was shared at that meeting can be found in the above slide show.

• On Monday, March 15, 2021, the Wilson School Board authorized administration to engage Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates to continue the  design development phase of architectural services for the comprehensive additions and renovations for Wilson High School. 

• On Monday, March 15, 2021, the Wilson School Board authorized administration to proceed with acquiring all municipal and/or state permits and approvals for the construction of baseball and softball fields on the Wilson High School campus. Furthermore, to authorize administration to engage professional design services, and to proceed with all related bid and contract document preparation for the completion of the project. The documents will be subject to final Solicitor review and approval.