Construction Projects

Welcome to Manheim Township’s Construction Updates. On this page, you’ll find information about our Middle School Construction project, with updates listed below. Please check here often for news and information!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the courtyard included in the middle school floor plans? Why is it needed?

Why is the courtyard so large?

What is the rational for classrooms needing windows?

What is a "black box theater"?

Why do we need a PIAA gym?

Why is the building angular in lieu of rectangular?

The floor plans show classrooms that appear to have angled walls. Are they angled walls and if so, aren’t they more costly?

The most current rendition of the floor plan has been refined since the original schematic design and eliminated the majority of angled walls. There are currently no angled walls in classrooms. The building footprint may appear angular which is driven by the constraints of existing site conditions such as the west side property line, existing school proximity and proposed realignment of School Road. The angled building footprint is a result of tapering the main corridors of the academic wings. These enlarged corridors will not only be used as circulation space but also for a Commons area for large and/or small group instruction to promote teacher and student collaboration and connectivity. If the corridors were not tapered but had a consistent width that was appropriate for the Commons area this would require an increase in building square footage.

Why can’t the building be three-story instead of two-story?

Why do you need a turf field for band? Can’t it be just grass?

With the band lot being used as the site of the new Middle School, the district has a responsibility to create a proper turf or blacktop rehearsal space for this (approx.) 140-member extra-curricular group. Grass is not an option as it cannot sustain the repetitive movement of students marching over the course of hours a day for 4-5 months from summer band camp until the last performance in late November. Although blacktop was considered, installing a turf field is favored as it will serve not only the Marching Band but also athletic venues (MTSD, community, and rentals) and physical education. Additionally, unlike asphalt, a variance of lot coverage is not required for a turf field.

Project Updates

Project History

08Jun2017

Debt Profile and Selection of Construction Project Representative

RBC presented an update on Debt Profile and Proposed Middle School Borrowing at the June 8 School Board Work Session. Click here to review the presentation.

The School Board voted on the Construction Project Representative during the June 8 School Board Work Session. Jay Darkey, of JPD Architects, LLC was selected as the Construction Project Representative for the Middle School Project.

18May2017

Construction Project Representative Presentations

There were two (2) Construction Project Representative Presentations for the Middle School Project held before and after the School Board Work Session on Thursday, May 11, 2017.

Hiring of the construction project representative will be an agenda item for a vote in June.

13Apr2017

Architectural Design Firm Chosen

During the School Board of Directors April Work Session, the School Board voted and approved Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates as the architectural design firm for the Middle School Project.

Three (3) architectural firms presented their proposals for design services for the Middle School Project. Based on these presentations and the design services proposals, the district selection committee recommended an architectural firm to the School Board, at the April Work Session, to award a contract for design services for the Middle School Project. After thoughtful, careful consideration, and open discussion during the Work Session, the School Board voted 7-1 to award Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates a contract for the Middle School Project.

One Board Member was not in attendance for the Work Session.

30Mar2017

Architectural Proposals Presented

MTSD held a public meeting on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at the District Office for architectural firms to present their proposals for design services for the Middle School Project. Three architectural firms presented to school board members, the MTSD facilities committee, and community members who attended the meeting. Based on these presentations, the School Board will vote and award a contract for the architectural/design services for the Middle School Project at the April 13th School Board Work Session.

16Feb2017

MTSD School Board Votes on Option 8

At a special voting public School Board Meeting on February 23rd, Manheim Township School Board of Directors continued public discussion on the future of the Middle School, and voted on Option 8, a new 2-story Middle School on the west property line. The vote was 7-2.

Option 8, at an estimated total project cost of $63-68 million, is a 2-story Middle School on the west property line. Benefits to this option include a minimize disruption to the educational programming during the construction phrase and no temporary trailers would be required for classroom space. Upon completion of project, the seventh and eighth grade students would move into the new school and the existing Middle School would be demolished. All presentations are posted on the home page of the district’s website.

Next steps in the process is for the district to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Design and Construction Project Representation.

09Feb2017

MTSD School Board Weighs Options

During the public Work Session on February 9^th, School Board members openly discussed and ranked each option as “viable”, “somewhat viable”, and “not viable”. The public dialogue format provided each Board Member’s perspective and why he/she offered the ratings for viability/non-viability.

In addition, RBC Capital Markets presented on the district’s debt profile and capital project financing review. In the presentation, RBC presented additional slides to clearly show the tax impact per year.

02Feb2017

Discussion of Middle School Future

Manheim Township School District held a public meeting on Thursday, February 2, 2017 in the Manheim Township Middle School auditorium to discuss the future of the Manheim Township Middle School.
At the public meeting, Remington, Vernick & Beach Engineers reviewed their recent facility audit for the district, and based on their research, representatives presented the different options proposed to address the future of the Middle School.

As an informational presentation, the engineers discussed the Middle School building infrastructure, mechanical systems in need of improvement and/or replacement, and the curricular program deficiencies. In an attempt to show due diligence at the request of the district, the engineers presented nine (9) different options, with total construction cost estimations, for the School Board to consider when addressing the future direction of the Manheim Township Middle School.

01May2016

District-wide Facility Presentation

In May of 2016, the district hosted a community meeting to present a district-wide facility presentation. After soliciting advice from focus groups across the district (which included staff, parents and students from each school), the District-wide Facility Team worked jointly with Remington, Vernick and Beach Engineers to develop a ten-year plan to meet the district’s facilities needs.

Click here to review the information that was presented.