CENTRE COUNTY — A new school year is not the only thing on the horizon for Centre County schools as Bellefonte Elementary School and Park Forest Middle School continue to make progress in the development of new buildings. Additionally, Mount Nittany Elementary School is continuing plans for its expansion project.
Here’s a look at the strides made so far on the three facilities.
Bellefonte Elementary School
Bellefonte Elementary School broke ground on its new elementary school on Friday, June 21, after close to a decade of planning.
The $55.3 million school, which will replace the old Bellefonte Elementary School, is expected to be completed by spring 2026, according to the Bellefonte Area School District.
Bellefonte Elementary School will house up to 750 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Sitting at 98,000 square feet, the school will feature a flexible indoor and outdoor space, a courtyard, additional classrooms, a dedicated space for the entire student body, emotional support rooms, life skills rooms, a media center, a STEM lab, a musical area with storage for instruments, a multi-purpose room with a stage and an enhanced security system with cameras located throughout the building, according to the school district.
“The project bid day resulted in a cost of $47.8 million for the construction, including alternates, which came under the Design Development Estimate of $48.6 million. The total project budget, including all soft costs, will total $55.3 million,” BASD shared in a press release about the groundbreaking in June. The project bid day occurred on Tuesday, May 7, and BASD announced its awarded contracts on Wednesday, May 15.
The original Bellefonte Elementary School was built in 1942. School officials cited outdated infrastructure and operational difficulties as reasons for the new elementary school build. Once completed, the school will be the first new elementary school building in the district since 1961.
The 2024-25 school year will take place in the old elementary school building at 100 W. Linn St. in Bellefonte until the completion of the new building.
Park Forest Middle School
While the BASD project has been in the works for 10 years, the Park Forest Middle School project is a much newer construction development, with formal conversations first noted in 2023.
The new middle school construction is a result of the State College Area School District’s district-wide facilities master plan, which was approved in September 2023. It offered three potential options that would either renovate the current facility or construct an entirely new school — either at a location on Valley Vista Drive or in a wooded area between the original PFMS and Park Forest Elementary School.
The original PFMS was constructed in 1971 and had not been upgraded since 1995. Due to its age, the middle school has been on the district’s radar as one of its next major projects.
The district selected the option of constructing a new property on Valley Vista Drive, with the board unanimously approving the purchase on Monday, May 6. The 7.4-acre property, bought from Hawbaker-Brower Limited Partnership, was purchased for $1.4 million.
“Acquisition of the property will enable the district, to include in particular its design professionals, to design a project that will better suit the needs of the district, its students, faculty and staff and the community as a whole,” the purchase agreement stated.
The next step in the construction project is a geotechnical survey, which will examine the soil and ground on which the building will sit on to determine its structural effectiveness.
Construction on the building is likely to follow the geotechnical survey, with construction expected to begin in December of 2025. The 200,000-square-foot building carries an estimated price tag of $89 to $100 million and will take up to 28 months to complete.
Mount Nittany Elementary School
Whie BFES and PFMS are getting brand new facilities, Mount Nittany Elementary School is eyeing an expansion. Bid documents are currently being prepared and construction work is expected to begin by January 2025.
With SCASD citing capacity issues, 38,575 square feet will be added to the currently 2,000-square-foot building. Additionally, the expansion looks to include the addition of six more classrooms, special education rooms, an instruction room for large groups, a music room and a cafeteria.
The SCASD board will have a vote to choose bids for the project on Monday, Sept. 23, with bids to be awarded in December.
With the goal of starting construction in January, completion is expected for the spring of 2026.
