web1_AP16276818927255.jpg

Penn Staters in the NFL: 49ers’ NaVarro Bowman lost for season with Achilles injury

web1_TTL100416WVWResponse1.jpg

WVW high schoolers assist younger students on first day of split schedules

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Save Our Schools committee is awaiting a response from the Wilkes-Barre Area School District regarding a proposal prepared by a construction company that would provide an independent assessment on the feasibility of repairing Meyers High School.</p><p>According to Kim Borland, an attorney and member of SOS, the group sent proposal from Bancroft Construction Company to the district on Sept. 9, but there has been no response from the administration or school board.</p><p>&#8220;We are disappointed that, after 14 months, the school district has refused to have an independent study done of Meyers,&#8221; Borland said Monday. &#8220;So SOS went out and found a firm with similar experience. We feel it would be best to get an independent assessment of Meyers to see if it can be fixed at a reasonable cost.&#8221;</p><p>Wilkes-Barre Area Solicitor Raymond Wendolowski said the school board hasn&#8217;t met since it received the Bancroft proposal. The board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in the cafeteria of the Solomon/Plains Complex, 43 Abbot St., Plains Township.</p><p>&#8220;The board will consider (the proposal) at that meeting,&#8221; Wendolowski said.</p><p>Wendolowski said the October meeting will be the first time the board can review the proposal and discuss it before making a decision.</p><p>Borland said one of the issues SOS has had with the district is it does not have confidence in the information the district has relied upon in making its decision to consolidate Meyers and Coughlin.</p><p>&#8220;Because of the enormous investment and impact it would have over the next 30 years, we asked that they get an independent review of what would be required to keep Meyers open,&#8221; Borland said. &#8220;That&#8217;s why SOS feels an independent study should be done.&#8221;</p><p>Borland said SOS decided to seek a company to perform an independent study &#8220;because the school district couldn&#8217;t agree to do it.&#8221; Borland said SOS found &#8220;numerous inconsistencies&#8221; with the district&#8217;s approach to the matter of consolidation.</p><p>&#8220;We wanted someone else to take a look at this and tell us what they think,&#8221; Borland said. &#8220;A lot of the district&#8217;s plan is based on Meyers not being usable.&#8221;</p><p>The school district wants to build a new high school where Coughlin stands on North Washington Street that would consolidate grades 9 through 12 from Meyers and Coughlin.</p><p><strong>Bancroft proposal</strong></p><p>In a letter dated Sept. 9 sent to Brian Costello, superintendent, and Joseph Caffrey, school board president, Bancroft Construction detailed what it would do to assess Meyers and what the assessment would cost &#8212; $100,000.</p><p>&#8220;Our objective is to provide an opinion as to what repairs and renovations are reasonably necessary to make E.L. Meyers High School fit and suitable for use as a secondary school for the foreseeable future and at what projected cost such repairs and renovations can be made,&#8221; the letter states.</p><p>Bancroft would review the assessment documentation already created, visually assess the building itself, review current recommendations and associated back-up data and evaluate costs associated with these recommendations.</p><p>&#8220;Since the option for new construction is already provided in the 2014 report, we will limit the scope of this study to renovation/rehabilitation of the existing building, taking into consideration its historical significance in the community,&#8221; the proposal states.</p><p>Bancroft has assembled a team to do the feasibility study:</p><p>&#8226; ABHA Architects would provide full design services, ranging from master planning, site studies, space needs programming and feasibility studies through architectural and interior design, preparation of bidding and construction documents and construction contract administration.</p><p>&#8226; Bancroft Construction Company is a full-service construction management, general contracting, design-build and program management firm serving the Mid-Atlantic United States, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.</p><p>&#8226; DEDC, established in 1965, is a privately owned, full service multi-disciplined engineering and design firm offering in-house expertise in mechanical HVAC, electrical, plumbing, process/chemical, structural and instrumentation/control engineering and design services.</p><p>The Bancroft proposal would be an analysis of the Meyers building based on survey information and data provided by the district and will need to include:</p><p>&#8226; A demographic review of district needs with enrollment projections</p><p>&#8226; An educational program review with facilities analyses of all buildings</p><p>&#8226; Building capacity calculations</p><p>&#8226; Summary of educational deficiencies</p><p>&#8226; Structural analysis dated December 2014</p><p>&#8226; Masonry fa&#231;ade analysis dated December 2014 and attached to the structural report</p><p>&#8226; Floor plans and elevations</p><p>Bancroft said its representatives would travel to Wilkes-Barre three times while developing the report &#8212; first to tour the site, with two subsequent trips to meet with representatives of the district/school board to review recommendations.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_RayWendolowski.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wendolowski </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_RayWendolowski.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wendolowski </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Attorney Kim Borland addresses the audience at a recent Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_3-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Attorney Kim Borland addresses the audience at a recent Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Save Our Schools waiting on Wilkes-Barre Area board to decide on Meyers study