Derry Area weighs first renovations at high school complex in decades

It’s been more than 30 years since the last major renovation at the Derry Area high school complex.

That may change in the next couple of years, but the question remains: How much work needs to be done?

Most people who took a school district survey support heating, air conditioning and electrical upgrades among options district officials are considering for the connected high school and middle school buildings.

The consensus among members of a community advisory team is that environmental and electrical improvements for the middle school and swimming pool areas should be scheduled during the first year of a potential three-year renovation project. The preliminary cost estimate for the work solely in the middle school is $18.4 million.

Planners have been reviewing an array of possible high school and middle school renovations that would carry an estimated cost of $62.3 million if the district pursued all of them.

Project planning included a March survey of 551 Derry Area staff and community members. There was general support for the middle school and swimming pool work as it received a ranking of 4 on a scale of 1-5, according to Josh Predovich of district architectural planning consultant SHP.

“Right now, in the middle school, there is heat but no (overall) air conditioning,” said district Superintendent Greg Ferencak. “Grandview Elementary was renovated in 2011 and does have air conditioning. We’re looking to bring the middle school and high school up.

“There are some places that do have air conditioning, the auditorium and office spaces, and there are some window units for students with disabilities. But it’s not in every classroom.”

Survey reponses revealed limited enthusiasm for relocating band, choir and district administration spaces in the second year of the prospective renovation. Predovich indicated that option earned an average rank of 3.1, barely on the positive side of a neutral opinion. It has an estimated cost of about $1.2 million.

Among 161 comments that were submitted as part of the survey, Predovich said, “There definitely was a prevailing attitude that some improvements need to be made. The second most important comment that I saw were people concerned about taxes, and it’s not surprising.”

Range of projects

Depending on the scope of the renovation project, the amount borrowed to finance it and the repayment term, the district might be looking at a related addition to its property tax rate ranging anywhere from 4.75 mills to 23 mills, according to various scenarios presented by district business administrator Scott Chappell.

Each mill of tax generates $137,000 in revenue for the district while adding $12.42 to the annual bill of the average taxpayer, according to Chappell.

Ferencak said no decision has been made about the timing or extent of any proposed renovations. The earliest any work could occur would be in 2025.

According to Ferencak, district administrators intend to present project recommendations to the school board this summer, after first focusing on preparation of the 2024-25 district budget.

The last time any major renovation occurred at the high school and middle school was in 1993, officials noted.

With district enrollment on the decline, Chappell said, there are areas of the building that are not being used efficiently. Predovich said the current enrollment of 1,782 reflects a decrease of 800 students over the past two decades while a further decrease, to 1,663 students, is projected by the 2029-30 school year.

He added that the school might benefit from a more modern layout of learning areas, including more varied seating, larger labs and more spacious classrooms that could better support team teaching.

Other major renovation options under consideration include: heating, air conditioning and electrical improvements at the high school and the agricultural education building, at an estimated cost of $15.1 million; consolidating the middle school and high school offices in an existing space at the front of the building, at an estimated $320,000; and updating the exterior shell of the schools, at an estimated $6.4 million.

If the district were to consolidate the two school offices, Predovich noted, it would free space for relocating the central administrative staff to the high school from a separate adjacent office building.

That two-story building lacks an elevator to accommodate those with physical handicaps and, Ferencak said, the utility and custodial costs there add up to about $70,000 annually.

More details regarding the district’s facilities planning process can be viewed at envisiondasd.us.