Cornwall-Lebanon school board hears updates on campus renovations

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The Cornwall-Lebanon school board heard updates on ongoing renovations at its work session Monday.

Superintendent Philip Domencic presented the board with details on a campus site improvement plan for the high school and middle school grounds, an estimated $12,616,014 project including a new access road onto Lincoln Avenue and associated stormwater, updates to the middle school parking lot, a multi-purpose turf athletic field, and a maintenance facility pole barn.

Domencic said the project would be bid fall of 2026 and would use the services of architecture and engineering firm Beers + Hoffman and construction management company Fidevia. He is requesting that the board authorize the services of Beers + Hoffman for the project, and approve an addendum to the existing contract with Fidevia.

He said the plan would give alleviate traffic during high-usage periods and in case of emergency allow for increased hours and field availability for athletic programs, consolidate and improve maintenance facilities, and improve stormwater management.

Construction on the project is expected to take place from March 2027 to August 2028. Domencic is also asking that the board approve Beers + Hoffman services for the middle school renovation project, which is expected to take place from May 2028 to May 2031.

The district is now in the midst of major renovations at Cedar Crest High School, following the ribbon-cutting for the Falcon Connector to connect the middle and high schools and provides swing classrooms during renovations.

Director of buildings and grounds Daniel Brickley said the district is finishing up phase one of construction (including the library and several classrooms) and beginning phase two, including classrooms in the science hallway (and associated plumbing), the band and chorus areas, new gym flooring, and a new diesel generator for the high school.

Renovations to the stadium are expected to conclude by the end of July, Brickley said. So far, contractors have installed a new stadium scoreboard, added a handicap ramp, worked on a pole vault pit, and installed a new concession stand, he said. Blacktopping will be completed the second week of May.

Renovations of the kitchen and greenhouse are planned to begin May 1, with expected completion before the start of the 2026-27 school year. Brickley said the district also plans to refurbish courtyards, improve parking lot lighting, make improvements to the tech-ed area, and finish pipelining (with the first half completed last summer) over the summer.

The board heard requests for approval for the following change orders for the high school renovation project:

• Lobar Inc., $3,028, steel beams conflicting with windows.
• Jay R. Reynolds Inc., $901, removal of gas regulator.
• Iron Eagle Excavating, $6,200, black walnut tree removal.

They were also asked to ratify a $23,970 purchase of pumps and a lid with LB Water for the Earl Boltz Stadium renovations.

Separate to high school renovations, the district also recently completed a project widening and paving Cornwall Elementary School’s walking path to be used for pick-up and drop-off traffic, including the installation of a gate.

Contractors are also working on a project to replace the chiller at Cornwall Elementary, which began in November. Contractors are now completing the final punch list, said Brickley.

The board also heard capital reserve fund projects planned for the summer of 2026, which will require approval from the board during its monthly meeting March 16. Project costs total $223,262, with a current capital reserve balance of $3,790,923.

These projects include the replacement of 1996-installed gutters at Ebenezer Elementary for $92,865 with Gable & Son Construction, the replacement of 1996-installed bleachers at Ebenezer for $76,922 with Builders Specialty Services, and repairs and resurfacing of the Union Canal Elementary parking lot (original 1990) for $17,307 with Lancaster Asphalt Systems Inc.

In other news, the board:

• Heard a request to employ a summer maintenance crew for 2026 for $45,060, for 10 weeks of a six-person staff.
• Heard a request for a chiller maintenance agreement for $13,113, including the schools not still under warranty.
• Heard a request for a preventative maintenance agreement for boilers at Cedar Crest Middle School and Union Canal Elementary, totaling $17,674.
• Heard requests for extra-curricular activities including overnight field trips, Sunday use of facilities, and a summer music program.
• Heard about a variety of policies now under revision, which have not been updated in a long time. Most of these updates intend to align policies to reflect practice.

The board will meet for its regular meeting, and take action on the items discussed Monday, March 16, at 5:30 p.m., at South Lebanon Elementary.