Aerial photo of North Penn High School, center, with district transportation garage at top center, North Montco Technical Career Center at top left, and former WNPV Radio site at top right, as seen in NPTV video “NPHS – A Building By Community.” (Screenshot of NPTV video)
New transportation building, crosswalk up for discussion
District officials have given another look at the latest plans to renovate North Penn High School, and when residents can sound off next.
“We are not seeking any action, just really collaborating with the board of supervisors and the administration in the township, just keeping you up to date on our plans,” said Superintendent Todd Bauer.
Renovations to North Penn High School have been discussed extensively over the past two years, with talks in 2023 largely focusing on whether to add ninth graders to the current high school, located on Valley Forge Road in Towamencin. After voters rejected a referendum in January that would have funded that expansion, district officials switched gears to a new design with a large addition between the current school’s A-pod and H-pod, smaller additions in the F-pod and J-pod, and updated utilities, fixtures and finishes throughout the school.
On Wednesday night, Bauer and engineer Barry Stingel gave the township an update, outlining the changes since their last presentation to the township, including a decision to keep transportation facilities there.
North Penn School District superintendent Todd Bauer, inset right, and engineer Barry Stingel show Towamencin’s board of supervisors the latest site plan for proposed renovations to North Penn High School, with the current school buildings colored in white, proposed additions in tan, and reconfigured parking in grey, during the Nov. 13, 2024 meeting. (Screenshot of meeting video)“We were here about a year ago, talking about potential plans for moving transportation off of the property. Unfortunately, that did not develop,” Bauer said.
“We pursued over 40 properties, two of which we got all the way down to an agreement in principle, and then the deals did not materialize due to estimated cost to do renovations, and improvements on the site. So ultimately it was determined it was not financially feasible to move transportation off of our property,” he said.
The latest plans were submitted to the township for review in early November, and will be discussed in public by the township’s planning commission on Dec. 2, Stingel told the supervisors, as he showed a site map with the current school outlined in white, new additions in tan, and green space — including a courtyard that will be closed by the new addition — in green.
School buses stand parked next to the North Penn School District’s transportation center on the campus of North Penn High School in June 2024.“There’s a new, two-story, what will be a new rear access point into the school building, along with a front plaza, a garden area, a bus pickup and drop-off area in that location. It will be immediately adjacent to the track and field and football practice area,” Stingel said.
“There will be some new plaza space in the front, some slight reconfiguration of the parking lot adjacent to the musical and arts area, and a new design for the interior courtyard within the school,” he said.
The biggest change since earlier versions is that transportation center: the current building would be demolished and that space converted into parking, and a new building built just north of that spot.
“There’ll be a new transportation building, built adjacent to that space. That will also include about 3,000 square feet of area exclusively devoted to grounds maintenance for the high school — the lighter area (on the site plan) will be the offices, and bus maintenance (space) for the transportation staff,” he said.
Further north on the former WNPV radio property acquired by the district in 2020, two multipurpose athletic fields would be added, both parallel to Snyder Road and with new parking to be added along the driveway entering the site.
“The existing cell tower will remain; there are a number of radio towers on this area, they will all be removed, and there will be a single, new radio tower constructed in this area,” along with a salt storage building on that site, Stingel said.
A car turns from Bridle Path Drive onto Sumneytown Pike, at an intersection where a new driveway entrance to North Penn High School could be added as part of a major school renovation project, on Tuesday Nov. 28 2023.The access road running south from Snyder Road would be extended to connect to the new transportation building and reconfigured parking, and other planned changes to the site include moving the propane fuel tank to the front parking lots near the Valley Forge Road entrance, and additions of two new tennis courts south of the school and adjacent to current courts. A marching band practice field adjacent to those courts reconfigured to allow for new stormwater management features on the site, and an underground basin would also be added below the new parking where the current transportation building stands.
“It is our intent to provide evidence to the township that the expansion, if you will, of the transportation facility does not exceed the township’s maximum allowance for expansion of a nonconforming use,” Stingel said.
Supervisor Joyce Snyder then asked if the latest plans included an access road running farther south, between the high school and its adjacent Crawford Stadium and connecting to Sumneytown Pike across from Bridle Path Drive, as shown in earlier versions of plans in 2023. Stingel said that had been removed after district residents voted in January against the referendum that would have funded expanding the school to move ninth grade students there.
"We are proposing a new sidewalk along Sumneytown", Stingel said, and township land planning consultant Peter Simone said that area was discussed during a recent township-wide sidewalk study.
"One of the many things we talked about was a pedestrian crossing at Bridle Path, across to the school, with a rapid flashing beacon. I think this is a great opportunity for the township and school district to partner to try to advance that project," he said.
"I think it's going to benefit, mostly, the students and people who live in the neighborhood. We've talked to your traffic engineer, and they're in favor of it," Simone said.
Supervisors Chairman Chuck Wilson added thanks to the district for minimizing the new development on the perimeter of the site, and said "that makes the neighbors happy." Craig Brown, one of those neighbors, added his thanks to Bauer and the district for meeting with those who live along Snyder to discuss the project and the buffering between their homes and the site.
"We talked about having more evergreen type of buffers. For six or seven months out of the year, leaves drop, with all the lights that will be there, and noise and various things, we ask that you're considering putting in a little more of a buffer that will be sustained," he said.
Bauer answered that plans aren't that far along yet, but that input is already being incorporated into refined designs.
"I watched them all take notes, we haven't decided on the types of trees yet, but certainly the evergreens are intended, yes," Bauer said.
North Penn's school board next meets at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 and the district facilities and operations committee next meets at 7 p.m. on Nov. 25; Towamencin's supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on Nov. 26 and the township's planning commission next meets at 7 p.m. on Dec. 2. For more information visit www.NPenn.org or www.Towamencin.org.
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