On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Manheim Township school board held its monthly meeting, highlighted by a major topic in the process of being developed: MT’s new and improved athletic complex. This proposal was the first item brought up in the meeting through a presentation, led by Connie King of MAROTTA / MAIN Architects, that outlined the details and costs of the proposed plan. Information on the plan itself can be found here.

The presentation explained not only the details of the plan but the timeline, as well as the costs of each part of the project. This school board meeting served as a way to present the parts of the project, and more importantly, prepare the board for the cost estimates and vendor/construction approval (all part of Phase I of the two-phase project) that would be decided upon at the next school board meeting on March 13. If approved, the project would move into further planning and mapping of the land as well as refurbishment of older parts of the stadium and fields, with Phase II initiating actual land development and construction. The total cost of both parts would come out at about $45 million, $21 million of that coming from the indoor facility costs alone.

With these costs and plans came many questions from the school board members after the conclusion of the slideshow. Many questioned the efficiency and practicality of some of the parts of the plan, stressing the importance of clarity on the use of taxpayer dollars for necessities of the project. Overall, the board members just wanted an idea of what they were putting money forward to do and how the money was being spent.

“I think there’s a lot more questions we need answers for to make informed choices for,” said school board member Mr. Grenter.

A full layout of the plan in a Google Slides presentation (shown to the school board on Jan. 9) can be found on the district website here.

Cost Overview

• Fieldhouse above Journey field, indoor facility, stadium upgrades: $24-25 million
• Training facility (with upgraded weight room and fitness center): $21 million
• $45 million total