Construction of new Wylandville Elementary School due to begin soon
Canon-McMillan School District is almost in the clear to begin construction of a new Wylandville Elementary School building.
The district is awaiting approval for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit from the federal Environmental Protection agency, according to Dr. Joni Mansmann, the district’s director of business and finance.
Mansmann said in an email Friday that they expect to receive approval this month, at which point ground can be broken. In the meantime, the district is setting up temporary trailers and fencing at the North Strabane Township construction site. The school will be located on the same property as the existing building.
Pittsburgh-based Massaro Construction will serve as the contractor.
According to Mansmann, the total cost for the new school will be $76,120,675. The district has planned to pay for the project without reimbursement from the state. Approximately $28 million in district funds have been earmarked for the construction.
At a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, the district’s school board will vote on a bond resolution allowing the district to borrow up to $55 million for the rest of the project. Mansmann said they expect the resolution will be approved.
“It is a parameters resolution that allows our financial advisers and finance team to have guidelines to buy bonds in the upcoming months and be able to carefully time execution of the transaction as market conditions are being closely monitored. The final interest rates and impact are not currently known; the resolution sets up parameters for the transactions to stay within,” Mansmann said.
According to Mansmann, the bond issue would be paid over a 30-year period.
The district is planning for the school to be finished by Feb. 19, 2027.
At that time, Canon-McMillan will begin the process of moving students. Superintendent Dr. Greg Taranto said current Wylandville students will be moved to the new school when the project is finished, and demolition of the old building will begin.
That summer the district will undertake a more extensive redistricting process.
“The following summer, we will need to redistrict, shifting some population from the Hills-Hendersonville side of the school district toward Muse, Muse to South Central and South Central toward new Wylandville,” Taranto said in an email.
He added that Borland Manor Elementary will close, with those students going to Wylandville.
“The redistricting will allow us to better balance class sizes and free up classroom space to offer full-time kindergarten for the first time,” Taranto said.