Architects and district staff on Nov. 3 told the Conewago Valley School District facilities committee that design development for the planned NOE replacement is nearly complete and that the district will present a finalized Act 34 estimate in December ahead of a Jan. 5 review and a Jan. 12 board resolution to set the maximum building and total project cost.

The presentation by project presenters Anthony and Connor laid out a procurement timetable that calls for a Feb. 12 Act 34 public hearing at NOE’s gymnasium, a March 9 board meeting to release the project for bidding and a May timeline for bid review and an intent-to-award. “This is when we are finalizing and preparing the drawings to be released for bidding,” Anthony said, describing the move from design development into construction documents.

The architects recommended breaking the work into five prime contracts, adding a separate prime for site construction so the general contractor can focus on building work and the site contractor can manage demolition and final site preparation. The presentation explained that separating the site prime could “reduce some overhead and profit from the general contractor’s bid.” The team said they expect a 5–6 week bid period if the project is released in March.

Project consultants continue coordination with civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and food‑service consultants and with the district’s construction manager; municipal land‑development reviews at the township and borough levels remain part of the approval path. The team added float in the schedule to avoid the municipal delays experienced on a previous project and said plans are targeted to be recorded in March or April so construction can begin in late spring. Presenters said substantial completion is planned for about two years after notice to proceed, with demolition of the existing NOE scheduled after students leave for the summer in 2028.

A preliminary construction-cost and soft-cost estimate shown to the committee was generally unchanged from the district’s 2024 estimate, the presenters said, though several line items remain to be refined. “There are still a couple of items in here that we are reviewing,” Anthony said, noting the team was awaiting an abatement estimate and further reconciliation of the site-construction line with the construction manager. The presenters said the district’s abatement consultant has not recently responded to requests for an updated cost; staff suggested issuing an RFP to alternate abatement consultants if the current consultant remains unresponsive, but recommended keeping the current consultant if they respond because of their historical knowledge of the school’s conditions.

On abatement, the presenters said an estimated cost must be included in the Act 34 booklet but that the actual abatement scope and contract would be bid separately closer to when the work is performed in 2028. “For the abatement work, [it will] be bid separately from this project closer to the time that NOE would be abated,” Anthony said.

Board members asked how the public and contractors will learn about the pre‑bid meeting; presenters said pre‑bid details will be in the public advertisement and noted that materials from the recent CTE pre‑bid meeting were posted on the district website. The team agreed to continue notifying the board in advance when the advertisement is posted.

Members also raised programming and budget questions about interior breakout and enclosed courtyard spaces. Presenters said faculty input led to adding a direct classroom access point to the courtyard to improve usability and that the CLA (large-group instruction) room equates to roughly two and a half classrooms. On energy concerns raised about higher ceilings and increased glazing, the team said the building envelope and systems are being designed to meet the current energy code, HVAC sizing accounts for the glazing and ceiling heights, and modern controls (LED lighting, sensors) are expected to improve efficiency; staff said they would check whether a formal energy calculation had been run and report back.

No formal board actions were taken at the Nov. 3 meeting. The project team said it will finalize the Act 34 estimate in December, present the booklet Jan. 5 and seek board action in January to set the maximum project costs prior to the Feb. 12 public hearing.