Vitetta Chooses Grandview

From buckslocalnews.com

Firm concludes Grandview is better than Reiter
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Posted on Wed, Feb 4, 2009

Vitetta, an architectural and engineering firm, recently concluded a study of M.R. Reiter and Grand-view elementary schools in Morrisville School District.

A recommendation was made at a special public hearing on Jan. 29: if any school is going to be used for an elementary school, Grandview Elementary School is the better choice from a physical standpoint.

Bill Corfield, a regional director of Vitetta, said his firm was directed to conduct a study, comparing M.R. Reiter and Grandview in order to determine which school is in "better condition."

The auditorium at the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School was sparsely filled with parents, mostly who were asking if the Morrisville School Board has any long-range plans about displaced schoolchildren from M.R. Reiter Elementary School. A public hearing was held to give the community a chance to voice their opinions.

Reiter was closed in mid-December after a furnace exploded on the weekend. The Morrisville School Board is considering whether to close the school permanently.

As a result, the children who were displaced from M.R. Reiter were sent either to Grandview or the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School.

Vitetta's study was conducted prior to the explosion. At M.R. Reiter, the firm had checked the heating units, boilers, electric, plumbing, exhaust fans and lighting.

According to Vitetta's Corfield, M. R. Reiter does not have handicap accessibility. He noted that Reiter is 2 1/2 stories high and that it is "hard to get around the building." Grandview is one floor.

"When planning an elementary school, it is always advantageous to have it on one floor," Corfield said.

He noted there is a water problem in the multi-purpose room at Reiter. "We have some major concerns about the amount of water and how to stop it," he said, noting the source of the water is unknown. The floor had to be replaced once because of the problem.

Corfield explained, "because of the water entry, the building is settling. Major cracks have been there. They're not getting any better."

"The Grandview School is in better condition," he said. "We did not see cracks or water infiltration in Grand-view."

Reiter sits on about three acres at the corner of Harper and Clymer avenues. The square footage for the entire building is 46,200 and it is zoned CS-1 (Community Service District.)

The current estimated insurance loss due to the furnace explosion is $1.15 million. "It's growing as we speak," said Paul DeAngelo, business manager for the school district.

"They're still in the process of cleaning the building," he said.

Meanwhile, he said after the meeting that the Morrisville School District entered into an appraisal agreement on Dec. 7 with Gleason Real Estate.

The value of the building and the land at Reiter is estimated at $995,000.

DeAngelo gave some history about Reiter, which previously was the site of the Robert Morris High School and was built on the site in 1924.

In 1959, the school was destroyed by fire. Later, it was rebuilt as M.R. Reiter Elementary School.

DeAngelo said the last record about the furnace was recorded in 1959. "They're well over 40 years old. They should have been replaced twice," he said.

The clean-up at Reiter continues. Teachers have received the supplies and materials from their classrooms. The clean-up company is focusing on the content first and the building last.

"What's still there are desks and filing cabinets," DeAngelo said. They are being cleaned and will be taken to the modular classrooms at Grandview Elementary by Feb. 20.

"The clean up is going pretty much as we thought," he said. "It's a slow process because it's the entire building.

The insurance claim is for $1.15 million. DeAngelo said a big chunk is the modular classrooms. Leasing eight modular classrooms with bathrooms will cost $500,000, he noted.

The insurance company sent a forensic engineer. "His recommendation is to replace the boilers," DeAn-gelo explained. "The school district will put it out to bid to determine the costs-we're estimating $300,000 for two boilers."

Other big-ticket items, he said, include the clean up for $93,000. Some computers are being tested, which will cost $134,000.

"We have a whole list of miscellaneous items from staff time, to the windows that got blown out to cleaning and inspection," DeAngelo added.

The cost to renovate and install a new furnace at Reiter would be $4 million. Meanwhile, the cost to renovate Grandview Elementary School is $2.6 million.

The modulars are being installed and will be finished Feb. 20, according to DeAngelo. "The snow and ice put us behind."

He said the immediate priority is getting the modular classrooms installed at Grandview, where some of the Reiter children are going since the blast.

In the summer, the school district could "look at the possibility of bringing the fourth grade to the high school," DeAngelo indicated, stressing that plan could be contingent upon the board's decision whether or not to close M.R. Reiter.

DeAngelo also talked about what could happen if the board ultimately votes to close Reiter. The long-term plan, according to the business manager, could be to create an intermediate high school for fourth-to eighth-grade. That group could be sectioned off from 9th-to 12th-graders. K-3 could be at Grandview.