Change order OKd for SCCTC

BY PAT FARNELLI

The Elk Lake school board approved a change order adding more space for the Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center’s expansion project on Tuesday at a special meeting.

The change order will square out a corner of the addition and add 2,314 square feet to the area of the building, at no extra cost, said architect John Kropcho, who gave a detailed explanation at the meeting.

According to Kropcho, the original plan included a Health Information program area of 1,326 square feet, which he said was “tight for the program.” The change order will increase this department’s area to 2,523 square feet, which will make this program area “very functional.”

The Job Seeking Skills area will stay the same, but will no longer have to share its space with the Business and Industry and Community programs.

Previously, this area had no direct exterior entrance: now it will have its own entrance from the parking area.

The auto body program, located nearby, will have no change in area, but the plan will be rotated, resulting in a more practical layout.

Because the expansion plan was bid at a time when contractors were short on work, the school was given a very competitive price rate and a good deal, Kropcho said. Now, when there is a building boom and plenty of construction work, the contractors aren’t exactly starving, and the changes in the local economy make it easier for the school district to afford the expansion, he said.

Board member Anne Teel questioned, “Is there a reason why we didn’t plan to build it this way in the first place?”

Kropcho replied that at the time, three years ago, they didn’t think there would be enough funds for greater square footage.

He provided a worksheet showing how the change order would affect the SCCTC.

First, there will be no change to the project cost, or to the anticipated state reimbursement. The change order amount is for $296,930, which amounts to a cost per square foot of $123.32.

The contracts for the expansion project total $5,406,302. The new building’s total area is planned for 34,180 square feet, at a cost per square foot at $158.51. If $1 million is subtracted to adjust for the estimated cost for the existing building and pavement, The adjusted new building cost per square foot is $128.91. Therefore, the change order cost per square foot is $5.59 less than the adjusted new building cost, he said.

The original PlanCon “D” project cost was for $8,605,000.

The current PlanCon “G” and “H” project costs are estimated at $7,600,000.

The additional area to be added in what was the health program rooms will be less expensive because the expansion involves moving out an existing wall.

Arden Tewksbury noted that the additional area is approximately the size of a double-wide mobile home.

Kropcho said that if they were to wait to do the change order until three years from now, the expansion would cost an additional million dollars.

There were extra funds build into the projected equipment and furniture budget that can be used to pay for the additional space, still leaving plenty of money for those furnishings and fixtures.

There is also a $610,000 technology grant that can be applied to new equipment purchases.

By shifting funds from a contingency fund and the fixtures budget which was deliberately boosted high at the beginning of the project, there will be no need to increase the project’s cost to the district.

Craig Sprout questioned, “Will the $900,000 the district has received in gas royalties lower our chances of getting grants? Could the state look at these figures and say, ‘Elk Lake, you’re on your own?'”

Sprout also questioned the district’s estimate of 51 percent state reimbursement, saying he took the figures to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and plugged them into the formula, and it came out short.

School board member Matt Curley explained that Sprout was using the wrong numbers, applying 51 percent to the aid number.

Sprout asked why the district’s royalty payments, totaling $901,709.05 as of the May payment, aren’t being used to give district homeowners a tax credit.

Superintendent William Bush replied, “We’ve looked into it, and there is really no way to give a tax credit.”

Some of the district’s royalty receipts will be used to balance next year’s budget and make up for cuts in government funding, he noted.

Bush further explained that the reimbursement for the expansion project is based on project costs, and that although the career center’s funding is applied for through the Elk Lake School District, it is a different entity.

The next regular meeting for the Elk Lake School Board is Thursday,  July 23 at 7 p.m.