Allegheny Valley School District moves forward with Acmetonia school construction

The Allegheny Valley School Board has agreed to buy a performance bond to ensure that construction on an Acmetonia Primary School addition and renovations can start soon.

Board members on Monday evening took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the project that will enable the school district to move Colfax Upper Elementary School students to Acmetonia for next school year.

A half-hour later, the board voted to purchase a bond costing up to $10,000 that is required under an agreement with Harmar, contingent on a solicitor's review of project documents.

Board members had been told no bond was purchased, and while some asked why that was the case, no one could answer.

Solicitor Matthew Hoffman and project manager Dave Parker said the bond that provides $659,000 in coverage relates to work on the Acmetonia project's stormwater management component, which will be linked to the township's system.

The board in August awarded contracts totaling $10.35 million for the expansion and renovation of the school.

The Acmetonia school in Harmar is being enlarged to take in students from Colfax. The district hasn't decided the fate of Colfax, which is in Springdale.

Hoffman emphasized that the bond amount covers the construction cost of that part of the project, and isn't the district's cost. District officials considered obtaining a line of credit from PNC Bank, then found that buying a bond would be less expensive.

Hoffman said a credit line would have cost the district $20,000.

“We're expecting the bond to be under that,” Hoffman said.

Parker, of Massaro Construction, said most performance bonds cost about 1 percent of the total coverage — or in this case, about $6,600, although there's no guarantee that will be the price.

There also is a possibility that the board's action wasn't necessary.

Parker said he didn't know the extent of the project's “soft costs” for items such as permits, but said a required performance bond usually would be included in a budget. District administrators and board members weren't sure if that is the case.

“I would not be at all surprised to find that it is included in our soft costs,” Superintendent Patrick Graczyk said.

District officials said they will consult with the project's architects, Foreman Architects Engineers of Zelienople.

A reporter who contacted Foreman Architects Engineers on Wednesday was asked to forward all questions to the district business manager, who did not return several requests for comment.

“It is unusual for the board to vote on something that we don't have strong numbers on, and that's what we're being asked to do,” Board President Larry Pollick said.

Some board members suggested waiting, but Hoffman and Parker said Harmar supervisors are expected to vote on the developer's agreement on Thursday.

Parker said without the bond, supervisors likely wouldn't approve the agreement and that would delay the start of construction.

Tom Yerace is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.