Funding for a stormwater project and for a new stadium scoreboard was the topic of conversation during the April 8 Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board work session. Those issues are scheduled for a vote during the April 15 regular school board meeting at Hillendale Elementary School.
The stormwater management project at Hillendale, as previously reported, is designed to correct an existing problem in which storm runoff from school property causes flooding at Hickory Hill and Craigs Mill roads, damaging private property and creating a silt problem in Craigs Mill Run.
School board members will vote on whether to award the project to Gessler Construction of Media. According to Rick Hostetler, director of building and grounds for the school district, Gessler came in with the lowest bid of $97,700, $20,000 less than the next lowest bid. Bids ranged from Gessler’s low up to $137,000.
He said the disparity necessitates further scrutiny, but that Gessler looks good so far, getting positive references.
“If nothing changes, it will come back as a recommendation,” Hostetler said.
The bid is also less than the $130,000 that was budgeted for the project. The district has applied for a series of grants that could offset the entire cost of a project that includes installing a storm basin, establishing rain gardens and reforestation.
Also bringing the cost down is that volunteers will be used for some of the work and that Pennsbury Township and the Brandywine Conservancy have contributed design work. That work amounts to about $20,000 in value. The project will also be part of Hillendale’s science curriculum.
Not all board members are 100 percent behind the district taking responsibility for the project. The problem, said board Director Jeff Leiser, existed before the district bought the property.
“It doesn’t feel right to me,” Leiser said.
Fellow Director Vic Dupuis countered by saying, “It’s our property and we have to fix it. We can’t go back to the previous. It’s our property and we have to fix it.”
Directors Kathy Do, Jeff Hellrung and Holly Manzone echoed Dupuis’ position with Manzone adding that it’s important to take care of the situation now before the problem gets worse.
Pennsbury Township supervisor Aaron McIntyre attended the session and said there is a “bubble of enthusiasm” in the township and that enthusiasm translates into money. The bubble could burst if the project is delayed.
“The township thinks it is the districts responsibility,” he added.
Board members will also vote on a new scoreboard at the high school stadium. The low bid is $20,182, but selling naming rights could offset the cost.
The current design has a slot for a sponsor name just below the school name at the top of the scoreboard and another name slot may be added to the bottom.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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