Union workers want to build new school in Horsham

If the planning process sticks to the script, Hatboro-Horsham Superintendent Curtis Griffin hopes shovels will hit the ground for construction of a new Hallowell Elementary School by May or June 2015.

And a vocal group of local and regional craftsmen expressed their hope at Monday nights meeting that the hands carrying the shovels will belong to union workers.

We are local taxpayers who will have kids attending these schools, said Mike Walton, a member of the local plumbers union. Non-union firms will bring in unskilled workers from the other side of the state who wont be paying the local taxes from their wages. The district should make it a point to have some percentage of the construction workforce come from the local residents.

Waltons sentiments were echoed by several speakers who addressed the school board and district administrators, making their case for union labor for the new school. District solicitor Jack Dooley reiterated that the project will follow the state law of using prevailing wages and putting the project out for public bid, with the requirement that the district will contract the lowest responsible bidder.

The union representatives think enough leeway exists in defining the word responsible that can increase the likelihood of using skilled labor for the project.

What we are looking for is transparency in the project, said Rodney Walker, business agent for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98. Outside contractors undercut the unions by paying low wages for unskilled, uneducated labor that ultimately perform substandard work. We just want to level the playing field.

There are still quite a few steps the district must take before the project goes out to bid, Griffin said, but he appreciated the comments from the community and says they will all be taken into consideration. Mondays presentation fulfilled Pennsylvanias Act 34 mandate requiring a public hearing to detail the specifications for the new school and how it will be funded.

According to Bonnie Sowers, the architect for the project from E/I Associates, the 88,000-square-foot building will accommodate 600 students, with the capacity to create additional classroom space for up to 750 children.

The building will be built on the site of the former Army Reserve Center, 6.8 acres that the district lobbied to acquire from the federal government. The deed was signed over to Hatboro-Horsham in the spring for $1, putting the project on the front burner.

Getting that land was a real game changer for us, said Griffin. We have 50-year-old schools that look great cosmetically, but need a lot of help with their infrastructure, such as roofs and the electrical grids. The availability of that space helped us decide which school to focus on first.

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Union workers want to build new school in Horsham