District plans $30M renovations

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins Schools officials are working with an architecture firm and a $30 million budget to renovate district buildings, create a new service building and expand its high school parking lot. And it plans to do all that without seeking new money from district taxpayers. In the past months, school officials have discussed upgrades needed at district buildings. A November article on Perkins Schools' website announced the district would conduct a review of its buildings and facilities and begin its improvement plans by seeking proposals from architecture firms to help create a master plan of necessary renovations and improvements. In the same November article, the district shared that its officials were expected to hire a firm in early 2025. The agreement At the board's Jan. 8 regular meeting, superintendent Lonny Rivera recommended the appointment of architecture firm The Collaborative for the district's building project needs. The board approved the recommendation. On the meeting's agenda, Rivera's recommendation included a letter from an architecture firm, The Collaborative, dated Jan. 4, and was addressed to board vice president Ted Kastor. The letter opened with a list of discussion points on the project, but the final scope of what will be done will be determined with the help of a facility committee. The district plans to: • Renovate and modernize the high school by possibly repurposing courtyard space, reimaging classrooms and upgrading lights, finishes and mechanics to other district areas • Construct a service building that could act as offices, storage and multipurpose athletic space; This task, however, remains a possibility. • Improve parking and other site work • Work within a budget of $30 million with construction making up $24 million and $6 million in soft costs like fees, permits, contingencies, furniture and technology The district would like to start the project immediately with construction starting sometime this year. Kastor said officials are looking for portions of construction to start in June. The firm said it will work with the district and the potential construction manager to establish a design and final schedule once the project is fully discussed. Kastor said the cost of these projects will come from internal sources so no bond issue is required. He listed the district's current cash balance, payments from the under-construction Aligned Data Centers, the Nexus pipeline tax appeal settlement and the increase to the tax base in Perkins Township. "The school district is committed to completing this building effort without any additional burden to the taxpayers," Kastor said. Looking ahead Since the Jan. 8 meeting, the architect has been studying the facilities, and there was a building committee meeting on Jan. 23 to discuss the scope of the project. Kastor said the next steps for the design work will be done in three phases; schematic design, design development and construction documents. He feels pure joy that this project is in motion. "The district is finally in a financial position to transform and upgrade our facilities, which will help our students to reach their full potential and provide an improved environment for students and staff," he said. The district's master plan will consider enrollment figures, which according to district data, are decreasing. In the 2012-13 school year, there were 2,437 students enrolled in Perkins Schools. This year, the district dropped to 1,899 — which counts those between preschool and high school — and projections show a continued downward trend estimating 1,750 in the 2031-32 school year. The district's November article focused on the buildings' heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to explain the need for modernization and upgrade. Some systems date back to the original construction of each building. Simply put, the air handling systems are inefficient throughout the district. Most classrooms and offices do not have adequate air conditioning and ventilation for the temperatures reached during the school year. Due to the age of these systems, custom parts need to be made to repair broken or worn-out pieces. Most recently, last week, the district announced Briar Middle School was closed due to a burst pipe. The school was up and running by Friday, but after being covered in 80,000 gallons of water, some flooring will need repairs. The gym floor is now in the process of being replaced but there is no estimate on repair costs. Insurance adjusters are due to visit the site sometime in the coming days. Plan in motion The district has already started improving its buildings. The Pirate Learning Center, a multipurpose space at Perkins High School on Campbell Street, was renovated in the summer with new video equipment, lights, carpet and wall coverings. The high school's band room was also treated to a makeover after it flooded from a heavy storm in 2024. It now has new lights, flooring, shelves, wall coverings and sound-absorbing tiles. Additionally, the high school gym also received new restrooms. Talks on building or renovating district buildings are not new for Perkins Schools. In 2022, the district attempted to secure a bond to construct new school buildings as a part of a plan created by a facilities committee. The plan was to build separate new schools for grades 6-12 and PK-5 based on feedback from taxpayers at community meetings. The bond failed. The next year, the district discussed six options focused on reconfiguring its preschool program. At the end of 2023, all six options and the idea of reconstructing the district were put on hold. "Past attempts were based on passing a bond issue to fund the planned project," Kastor said. "This project does not require a bond issue to proceed. Also, the lack of preschool space will be addressed within this project."