Council Rock Approves Renovations For Sol Feinstone Elementary

NEWTOWN, PA — The Council Rock School Board voted 6-1 during a special meeting Monday to approve a three-year, roughly $27 million renovation contract for Sol Feinstone Elementary School, the district's oldest school building.

Board members Kristin Marcell, Ed Salamon, Ed Tate, Mariann McKee, Denise Brooks, and Andy Block voted in favor of the measure, while Michael Thorwart voted against it. Board members Joseph Hidalgo and Mark Byelich were absent.

The board had previously voted to delay the renovations for at least a year at its April 8 meeting, citing financial concerns; however, at a board meeting last week, Superintendent Robert Fraser presented new information, including higher-than-expected revenue projections, which led some board members to change their thinking. That led the board to schedule a special vote Monday.

Thorwart said his position had not changed.

"I think this is a full steam ahead rush," he said. "I have serious concerns that the deadlines that were imposed on this board earlier in April apparently didn't matter at all, and now we can move things along without any concern for deadlines and notices to proceed."

Kevin Campbell, an Upper Makefield resident, expressed a similar sentiment during the public comment portion of the meeting.

"This new information, less than a few days old, is being used in my opinion to rush a vote that has already been taken, and is setting a bad precedent moving forward," Campbell said.

Board president Ed Salamon, who had initially voted against the Sol Feinstone renovations, said he remains concerned about the district's financial outlook.

"My concern was finances a few weeks ago," he said. "But we can't forget that we have many kids going to that school, and it's in need. It's many years in the making."

A proposed budget for next school year calls for a 3 percent tax increase, which amounts to a roughly $147 increase for the average property owner in the school district. A final vote on the budget is slated for next month.

The work at Sol Feinstone would begin this summer and last for three years. Work at Richboro Elementary School is slated to begin in Summer 2023, pending board approval next year. Both projects would be completed by summer 2024.

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