Upper Adams School District (UASD) approved the finalization of the agreement with Arendtsville Borough regarding the district’s intermediate school Tuesday.
“At long last we have an agreement,” Board President Tom Wilson said, “The process for the agreements has been dragged out for a year.”
In a special meeting, the board approved a settlement agreement between UASD and Arendtsville in regard to the additions and renovations project at the Upper Adams Intermediate School.
UASD and Arendtsville entered into an Operations and Maintenance Agreement and Stormwater Best Management Practices in August 2019.
Reconstruction was done to Upper Adams Intermediate School (formerly known as Arendtsville Elementary), including two new building additions to the existing school building, renovations to the existing school building, new entrances, and parking layouts, an extended drop off queue lane, and new stormwater management facilities basins.
According to the settlement, disputes arose between UASD and Arendtsville regarding contentions of non-compliance with the plan, as well as among others, costs incurred by the Borough as a result of the project.
As of the settlement agreement, payment will be made in the amount of $6,695.40, as well as 50 percent of the waterline relocation/replacement to Arendtsville, a payment of $9,119.38 to Arendtsville for engineering fees and costs for the services of Knoebel, Picarelli, Inc. (KPI), a payment not to exceed $3,250.00 for outstanding KPI invoices, and final inspection costs.
The settlement agreement also detailed additional work to close out the project including installations and repairs if not already completed.
Wilson was so adamant of the agreement concluding that if there were any problems with certain balances, “I’d be happy to write the check of my personal account,” he said.
Once a signature is received from Arendtsville officials, the transfer of funds will be executed, Wilson said.
“And this at long last should specify all of the things that need to be done to bring this thing to a conclusion,” Wilson said.
A.L. Grabenstein, reporter, is a graduate of Philadelphia's La Salle University with a B.A in Communication and has been a journalist since 2016. She has reported for the Gettysburg Times and the Times Herald in Norristown, PA. Grabenstein moved to Gettysburg from Montgomery County in 2019. She was born in San Antonio, TX., and previously lived in Virginia, and North Carolina. Grabenstein is actively involved in the borough of Gettysburg and loves giving voices to the local community.