The Cranberry Area school board, on Monday evening, heard an update on Phase 2 of the district’s site improvement plan.
Architect John Carly of the Sharon-based firm of HHSDR, via Zoom from California, said, “We are paying for the sins of past” in reference to problems with drainage in several areas on the campus.
He recapped Phase I work, including improvements to the high school, elementary school and stadium access work designs, an application for funding, stadium pipe inspection, culvert design and an application to perform the necessary work.
There were four alternate bids, which are optional. Alternate bid 1 is for elementary school site work. Alternate 2 is for the stadium pedestrian walk and bleacher pad. Alternate 3 is for disabled parking at the stadium and Alternate 4 would be for 20 parking spaces at the soccer field.
Carly said he hoped to have the bid proposals to the bidders by late December or early January. The bids should be awarded in late January and construction would begin in February, with completion of the project in September.
He said work would be done in two parts.
Part I would see the work on the western half of the project, from Big Egypt Road past the second entrance to the high school lot.
Board member Kenneth Brannon questioned the use of several proposed retention ponds. Carly explained the ponds were needed to control runoff, particularly at the intersection of Education Drive and Route 257.
Carly said a retention pond was already at the site, and the new ponds would be about 2 feet deep. He agreed fencing the pond at the entrance of Education Drive and Route 257 was probably needed.
Brannon also questioned the need for two smaller ponds, including a peanut-shaped pond in the stadium area. Carly said the alternate would be an underground pond that would be more like a cistern. He said the cost would be three times the cost of installing the ponds and he would not recommend fencing the smaller ponds.
Carly recommended not turning over Education Drive to Cranberry Township. He said the township would require curbing along the length of the drive and that could cost more than $200,000. In addition, an existing district storage shed imposes on the road’s right-of-way.
Business manager Henry Karg presented a 51-page document for the board to review demonstrating various payment methods.
The total cost of the project was not revealed.
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