The Bellwood-Antis School Board met Tuesday, hearing presentations regarding the Myers Elementary expansion project.
With a creative and colorful display, representatives from Burt Hill, Inc., including architect Richard Karcher, provided details about both the interior and exterior of the new elementary building.
The floor plan showed modifications to the current elementary building as well as the addition of a second floor and a new gymnasium and kitchen area. While these plans have been in the works for over a year, this week’s presentation provided much more detail into what the end product will actually look like.
The theme of the new building will be a neighborhood, because essentially during the day, the school is a small community and the classrooms are “home” for the students.
The floor plan will remain the same with the additions. Entering the building, the main hallways, leading to common areas such as the gymnasium, library and cafeteria, will be set up as “Main Street”. The halls leading to classrooms will become “residential streets”.
The classrooms will be grouped together by grade and will be color coded, according to the paint scheme. New hooks and shelves will be added in the existing classes and lockers will be installed in the new second floor rooms.
The courtyard will also have a theme as “railroad tracks” run through the center, leading to a tunnel. A caboose will also be built for the area.
Following the presentation, board member Dave Worthing said the color scheme was great, as was the entire plan, “I’d have to say, two thumbs up.”
The board plans to have photographs from the presentation put on the school district’s website at www.tuckahoe.blwd.k12.pa.us.
There was also discussion of the building’s exterior. Karcher provided samples of the materials that will be used on the exterior and said there are alternatives. He said the main objective was to blend the new addition to the existing building.
Project phases were also discussed. A lot of work will be completed before school starts and paving of the parking areas will also be done this summer. Phase one also includes building the new kitchen and boiler room.
Phase two starts with the second floor and will hopefully be under way in early December.
There will be temporary partitions placed throughout the school on occasions and some faculty and staff will be relocated, but the main objective is to do things in a manner that is safe for the students.
Elementary principal Terri Harpster said, “I’d rather have us (office workers) be inconvenienced, rather than kids and classroom instruction.”
Plans call for bids to be opened March 20. Contracts are expected to be awarded in April.
