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Chester County Press

Avon Grove sets Sept. 12 as date for Act 34 Hearing for new high school project

08/29/2019 01:42PM ● By Steven Hoffman

The Avon Grove School District has set a date, time, and location for the Act 34 Hearing for the high school construction project that has been in the planning stages for the last two years.

Act 34 Hearings are a requirement of the state’s School Code, and they offer all stakeholders with the opportunity to offer their input or get information about the planning, designing, or constructing of the school project.

Avon Grove officials scheduled the Act 34 Hearing for Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Avon Grove High School auditorium, 257 State Road in West Grove. The Hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m.

There will be a presentation on the new high school, including facts about the educational, physical, administrative, budgetary and fiscal matters related to the project.

The Avon Grove School Board has previously adopted resolutions establishing the maximum project cost of $114,568,737 and a maximum building construction cost of $81,001,789.

School board member Bill Wood emphasized that the Act 34 Hearing relates to the PlanCon process that allows school districts in Pennsylvania to seek partial reimbursement from the state for school construction and renovation projects. School district officials will lead a presentation outlining the scope of the project, but the board itself will not be voting on anything that the hearing.

“It's simply an opportunity for public input,” Wood explained.

In other business at the meeting, the school board approved a change order in the amount of $137,885 for additional work by Beynon Sports Surfaces to complete the work on the high school track. The additional funding allowed for milling and repaving of asphalt, the removal and replacement of four drain sections, the relocation of the pole vault box, and a bonding fee.

The school board approved dozens of personnel items, including new hires, resignations, and retirements that took place between the last meeting in June and this meeting.

The school district welcomed Dr. Jason Kotch as the new director of technology, who comes to Avon Grove with approximately 20 years of experience. 

The school board also approved the acceptance of a $2,500 donation to the Avon Grove High School Performing Arts Department that was received from an anonymous donor.

School board member Rick Dumont expressed his gratitude for the donation, saying: “To the person that made the anonymous donation, thank you—it is very generous.”

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese said that there was a lot of excitement surrounding the start of a new school year. He informed the school board that district enrollment stands at around 5,082 students, which is the highest enrollment to start a school year since he came on board as superintendent. Enrollment in the full-day kindergarten program is also at its highest level to start a school year.

The Avon Grove School Board's next regular meeting will take place on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Avon Grove Intermediate School Audion.