Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors are set to vote on new summer hours and a plan to remedy a stormwater problem near Hillendale Elementary School. The vote is planned for the Feb. 19 school board meeting to be held at Unionville High School.
Changing the district’s summer hours to a four-day week of 10-hour days is a way to save some money and conserve energy, according to Rick Hostetler, supervisor of buildings and grounds.
Hostetler told the directors during the Feb. 11 work session that the district could save an estimated $21,000 in energy costs by doing a “hard close” of all buildings from 6 p.m. on Thursdays and re-opening at 5 a.m. on Mondays from June 24 trough Aug. 2 this coming summer. A hard close means all lights and air conditioning would be turned off at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
How much more could be saved is unclear. Hostetler said 15 other districts were surveyed. Some have not changed to a four-day summer workweek, while others have. Of those that have tried it, he said, 11 reported saving anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000. The average saving was $25,000 to $35,000.
District employees were also surveyed. Hostetler said 88 percent of the employees said it would probably be OK and 80 percent said they would like to try the four-day week. Employees, too, could save money by not driving to work on the fifth day, Friday.
The public would be affected, too. Parents and others who need to conduct business with the district or a specific school would have to handle matters between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. They also need to be aware that calling a school on a Friday would mean they’d get no response until the following Monday.
Board members will also be considering whether to put out for bid a project planned to remediate a stormwater runoff problem stemming from Hillendale Elementary School in Pennsbury Township.
Runoff onto a steep slope causes flooding at Hickory Hill and Craigs Mill roads. The flooding is damaging private property and causing an extreme sediment buildup in Craigs Mill Run, said Matt Houtmann, the Pennsbury Township engineer.
He said Craigs Mill Run is the only impaired stream in the township and that is due to the runoff from the school.
The school property was formerly a museum and the school district inherited the problem. There would be no such problem had the school been built under current stormwater management guidelines, he said.
The plan, involving the township, school district, Brandywine Conservancy and the Brandywine Valley Association, would involve a number of steps including reforestation and building rain gardens.
Houtmann said the plan is designed to reduce the rate of flow by 66 percent, protect the hillside to prevent further erosion, thereby stemming sediment flow into the stream. Water quality should also be improved.
He added that the plan, if approved, would cut erosion by 85-90 percent.
School Principal Steve Dissinger said the project would also be made part of the fourth-grade science curriculum at Hillendale.
The plan is believed to cost about $135,000, according to Hostetler. That could be offset by donations and grants.
Wes Horner of the Brandywine Conservancy said a Growing Greener Grant has already been applied for and that they could get a Tree Vitalize Grant. There’s also a chance of getting some money from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
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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