Board approves feasibility study to explore Patton Middle School options; district awarded up to $1M for five electric buses

The Unionville‑Chadds Ford School District work session on June 10 included a detailed presentation of a Patton Middle School feasibility study and an announcement that the district has been awarded federal grant funds for electric buses.

Facilities director Mr. Weitzel asked the board to approve a scope-of-work contract for an architects’ feasibility study (approximately $32,000) that will assess enrollment projections, existing building systems, zoning for campus parcels, educational program needs and possible options (renovation, addition, or new construction). He said the study will include quantitative campus‑site analysis — parking, traffic, athletics and circulation — and explicitly noted consideration of maintaining portions of the existing Patton Middle School building for alternate uses.

"Part of this proposal will provide a facility condition index, which is an analysis of our building, our system components, what their life is, what their wear is," Mr. Weitzel said, noting the study will yield cost estimates and options useful whether or not the district proceeds immediately with construction.

Board members emphasized that community engagement should run in parallel with the study; administrators expect community outreach throughout the fall and aim to have a report that informs a decision point in January–February.

Separately, the district announced it was awarded up to $1,000,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toward five electric buses — the first time a non‑prioritized district in EPA Region 3 received such an award, Mr. Weitzel said. The district will review options on how to apply the funds and must decide by Oct. 24 whether to move forward; preliminary discussions are planned for August and September with a formal decision in October.

Weitzel also updated the board on the electric-bus pilot: the second bus was delivered the first week of May and has been running routes since then; board members asked for a follow-up report at the end of the summer to review battery performance and operational lessons learned.

Next steps: If the board approves the feasibility‑study contract at the June 17 meeting, the study will proceed over the summer with accompanying community outreach. The board will receive more information on the EPA grant options and will vote on whether to accept and use the funds by Oct. 24.