CLSD seeks bids on middle/high school campus improvements project

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

The Cornwall-Lebanon school board unanimously agreed on Aug. 17 to advertise for bids on a site improvements project at the middle and high school campus.

The estimated $13,870,363 project includes fields, a maintenance pole barn, parking improvements, and an access drive to be constructed over multiple phases.

Superintendent Philip Domencic said in March the project would 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. The board discussed the project in more depth at its work session Aug. 10.

Once bids are received from interested contractors, the board will have the option of accepting or rejecting bids on the project.

If awarded, construction on the project’s first phase is expected to begin March of next year, and the final phase is expected to conclude in June 2028, though these times are subject to change. Though an access drive through Lincoln Avenue is planned for phase three of the project, it would only be usable after road improvements are made to Lincoln Avenue in phase four.

In other news, the board:

• Heard a presentation on rising sixth grader Henry Tobias, who won first place in a statewide student art contest about lyme disease.

• Heard a presentation on PA Department of Education 2027 Teacher of the Year finalist Kerrie Becker, a sixth-grade math teacher at the middle school. Cedar Crest Middle School principal Joseph Burton praised her participation in extracurricular activities, leadership to peers, and guidance over students.

• Unanimously approved the following change orders, with multiple credits due to parts of projects being less expensive than anticipated:
  • Cedar Crest High School:
    • Lobar, $17,177.53 credit for faculty restrooms.
    • Jay R. Reynolds, $10,151 for various plumbing items.
    • The Farfield, $19,401.27 credit for revisions to temporary antennas and video walls.
  • Earl Boltz Stadium Facility:
    • Ratify June change orders by NCI Construction and McCarty & Son of $7,991.27 each.
    • JCI Construction, $5,192 for shower stall installation.
    • Myco Mechanical (plumbing), $16,345 credit for unused allowances.
    • McCarty & Son, $141,448.71 credit primarily for unused allowances.
    • Myco Mechanical (mechanical), $15,735 credit for unused allowances.
• Unanimously approved the purchase of a chiller for the middle school for $478,700 from a COSTARS vendor and unanimously agreed to advertise for bids for the chiller replacement project.
• Unanimously approved the payment of campus renovations bills totaling $9,808,658.10.
• Unanimously approved the payment of $148,987.50 in Capital Reserve bills.
• Honored Jean Hentz as the director of business affairs.
• Unanimously approved the 2026-27 curriculum, including the addition of AP Music Theory and Introduction to the Human Body.
• Unanimously approved credit reimbursements totaling $108,989.20 in staff development.
• Unanimously approved numerous use of facilities and field trip requests.
• Handled routine business including routine driver approvals, personnel matters, contract renewals, and the approval of minutes.

This article was updated to include Henry Tobias’s presentation and clarify that the campus project’s timeline is subject to change.

This meeting was covered remotely by LebTown using a livestream of the meeting posted to the district’s YouTube page and notes from previous coverage of the board.

The Cornwall-Lebanon school board holds a work session on the second Monday of each month and its regular meeting on the third Monday of each month, both at 5:30 p.m. Meetings are held at South Lebanon Elementary School due to ongoing construction at Cedar Crest High School.