Bellefonte Area hears preliminary options for facilities master plan

A proposal for the Bellefonte Area School District facilities master plan was introduced at the board meeting Tuesday night.

Drafted by Mechanicsburg-based architect firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates, the plan includes four options for construction, renovations, new building projects and possible mergers involving Bellefonte, Benner and Pleasant Gap elementary schools.

The plan also includes options for the district administrative office.

Architect Jeff Straub said the firm plans to meet with the school board and district administration at least one more time before finalizing the draft.

The first option includes renovating current district buildings, with an estimated cost of $31,261,975 million to $37,372,275 million. It includes short-term, immediate and long-term maintenance plans for seven district buildings.

The second option includes two potential plans for the constriction of a new building on land adjacent to the high school with a 750-student capacity.

The first plan includes a merger of Bellefonte and Benner elementary schools, which could cost from $29.94 million to $35.04 million; and the second plan includes the same elementary merger, but with addition of district office space, which could cost the district from $31.623 million to $37.092 million.

Option three also includes two possible plans for a new elementary school and merger with Bellefonte, Benner and Pleasant Gap elementary schools, for an estimated cost of $32.91 million to $38.28 million; or a similar merger of schools, but with the addition of district offices for an estimated cost of $34.59 million to $40.33 million.

The third option also includes plans for a new facility built near the high school that would have a 1,000-student building capacity, according to a report from the firm.

The fourth option focuses on two possible plans for Pleasant Gap Elementary School — a renovation, and construction of a new building and demolition of the old building.

Renovations could cost from $7,154,850 to $8,899,050. New construction and demolition could cost from $9,004,080 to $10,865,100, the report said.

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 10:30 PM with the headline "Bellefonte Area hears preliminary options for facilities master plan."