The Pennsbury High School project has become a significant source of controversy within the community, largely due to the ongoing lack of transparency from the Pennsbury Administration and School Board. This frustration has been compounded by escalating cost overruns tied to the Charles Boehm renovation projects and the stadium initiative. Although Pennsbury has held a few community meetings specifically addressing the PHS building projects, these gatherings have been criticized for offering limited details and fostering minimal public involvement. Recently, PSD411 uncovered, through whistleblower reports and a Right To Know request, concerns regarding the wetlands characteristics of the site—issues that Pennsbury officials have reportedly been aware of since August 2023. Committee meetings have historically not been video broadcast as done in other Bucks County school district, PSD411 was in attendance and captured the meeting for video replay.
Community Members Confront Facilities Committee
The Pennsbury School Board utilizes sub-committees to assist in overseeing district administration. Members of the Facilities committee include long-standing board members Linda Palsky and Chip Taylor, as well as unelected appointee Donna Petrecco, who is stepping down to pursue a county office position. Pennsbury resident Robert Abrams has raised concerns about the structural integrity of the planned building, citing geological testing results that indicate the soil is predominantly sand, silt, and water. Abrams emphasized that these conditions necessitate a comprehensive reevaluation of the foundation, which is currently designed as a floating slab for the 495,000 square-foot structure. Moreover, he highlighted that the required remediation to prepare the land for construction will incur millions in additional costs, which are not reflected in the current budget forecast.
Abrams shifted his focus to what he views as underestimated cost projections. In previous meetings, he highlighted that high school construction projects at North Penn School District and Perth Amboy School District, designed for similar student populations, had cost estimates more than 30% higher than those presented by Pennsbury. Additionally, Abrams pointed out that the Council Rock School District is considering a new high school to replace its North High School at the same estimated cost as Pennsbury’s project, despite the Council Rock build being 30% smaller in occupancy. Comparatively, Council Rock’s project is estimated at 380,000 square feet for 1,900 students, with an all-in construction cost of approximately $704 per square foot. In contrast, Pennsbury’s all-in cost per square foot is currently projected at around $544. The video below from Council Rock outlines discussions regarding the cost estimates for their new high school.
Pennsbury High School Budgeting Updates Challenged
Pennsbury resident Jennifer Metzger, a professional tax accountant, spoke up to scrutinize the latest projected budget estimates. Metzger highlighted significant discrepancies between earlier budget submissions and the most recent documents, emphasizing the absence of supporting details for the notable changes. She specifically focused on the $6 million reduction in the Natatorium budget line, pointing out that this adjustment was made without any accompanying justification or documentation.
Following Metzger’s public comment, SiteLogiQ representatives presented their revised budget estimates. During the presentation, they frequently referred to the fact that the original budget was inherited from another organization. However, they offered limited details regarding the reasoning behind their budget modifications. Additionally, they acknowledged that Abrams’ concerns about the foundation would likely necessitate a future adjustment to the costing. The SiteLogiQ presentation can be viewed below.
PHS East Building Needs New Roof
As Pennsbury moves forward with plans for the new high school building, critical repairs remain necessary for the existing facilities, particularly at PHS East. D’Huy Engineering presented its findings regarding the roof inspection at PHS East during the recent meeting. The firm outlined several repair options for the Board’s consideration, ranging from a complete roof replacement costing ~$5.4 million—which includes warranty coverage—to a less expensive patching plan estimated at ~$1.1 million, which lacks warranty protection. Online research suggest that the lifespan of a leak path repair can range from 1 year to 5 years, which is why roofers do not offer warranties for such work.
Under the proposed construction timeline, these expensive repairs would be applied to PHS East to ensure its usability for an additional five years. The discussion stretched for nearly 25 minutes, with School Board members struggling to grasp the severity of the issue and raising ineffective questions to both vendors and district administrators.
The newly identified costs are unexpected and were not included in prior budget estimates. During the meeting, there was no discussion regarding the funding source for these repairs—whether they will be drawn from the Capital Projects Fund or necessitate additional borrowing. Regardless of the approach, these repairs at PHS East represent a temporary solution that will ultimately impose a substantial financial burden on taxpayers.