Bethlehem Area School District’s administration presented to the community Thursday its plans for the new Fountain Hill Elementary School building as the project moves into its next design phase.
The new building will be constructed on the school’s existing site at 1330 Church St. in the district’s southwest corner and will be 85,780 square feet. The project will cost about $62.2 million, with $1.5 million of that covered by a grant from the state.
The steering committee for the project nixed the open concept in the current Fountain Hill building, which was constructed in 1937 with additions in the ’70s and ’90s. It was originally used as a high school.
The new school will have three levels and grades will be organized in pods so students can share services. There will be two entrances, one on Church Street and another on Moravia Street.
The construction phase of the project is set for summer 2025 and will last until summer 2027. During the two years in which the new school is being built, all 500 Fountain Hill students will be bused to a temporary location for learning. Superintendent Jack Silva said the temporary site is a former school, but the exact location won’t be announced until approved by the school board.
Fountain Hill Elementary also will need a temporary site for its food pantry during the construction phase. Silva said the district will work with the community to determine a temporary location; whether that’s the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Broughal Middle School or another site, is yet to be determined.
Once the new school is finished, the food pantry will be located in the family center, along with a clothing closet and office spaces for community use.
Community residents asked questions Thursday about the demolition process for the current building and future traffic solutions for the new school.
Mark Stein, chief facilities and operations officer, said there is asbestos in the school building that the district manages. Before demolition, BASD’s abatement contractor will remove hazardous materials and there will be air monitoring both inside and outside of the property.
“That will all disappear before the building starts coming down,” he said.
Residents Nancy and David Trautmann expressed concerns about current parking issues for neighbors and asked about solutions for once the new school is built, particularly with the new entrance on Moravia Street. Many parents currently park on nearby public streets and walk their children to the school entrance for drop off; they similarly park and walk to the entrance for pick up in the afternoon.
“We’ve heard what you’ve been saying about Moravia Street so we’re taking that into consideration, too, which is one of the reasons for the designated drop-off [area],” said Courtney Wertman-Stambaugh, principal at Fountain Hill.
The district plans to work with borough officials to make Moravia Street a one-way road with the goal of creating a car rider line for district families that keeps traffic moving, she said.
Silva also said parking is increasing for staff and visitors, which should reduce some of the cars parking on the streets in front of residences.
Robert Bloch, another neighbor, expressed concern about traffic safety on Moravia Street.
“There’s no speed limit [sign], nothing, and you wouldn’t believe, I see people go by 50 miles an hour,” he said. “Most schools you pass, they have a blinking light, [that says] 15 miles an hour, that’s something to think about.”
Silva said that will be another conversation the district has with the borough.
Winston Alozie, a school director on the planning committee, said the district has considered many of the residents’ concerns already, but welcomed them to keep asking questions. He highlighted the importance of community partnership.
“We don’t want to build something that you look out the kitchen window and you hate it,” he said. “Fountain Hill is a place where meetings happen, where people go, we want that to still happen.”
Morning Call reporter Jenny Roberts can be reached at jroberts@mcall.com.
