Reading’s Riverside Elementary School has reached a point where major upgrades, or a full replacement, can’t be put off much longer, district officials say.
Wayne Gehris, chief financial officer, and JuliAnne Kline, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, laid out the administration’s recommendations for the building at a school board committee of the whole meeting.
Gehris said the district commissioned a feasibility study two years ago to assess facility needs across all buildings. A draft of that report, delivered late last year and reviewed by the district’s cabinet in September, identified Riverside, 1400 Centre Ave., as the most critical.
“It’s really a collection of events that led to this,” Gehris said. “It’s one of our oldest schools, and in the 12 years I’ve been here, we haven’t put significant resources into renovating it. The needs have added up.”
Riverside enrolls 678 students but is rated for a capacity of about 900 under state guidelines, Gehris said. The multilevel building spans 80,000 square feet on 3.35 acres with a steep grade change from Centre Avenue down to Front Street, he and Kline noted.
Gehris said the feasibility study identified $31.3 million in renovation costs needed for the school, including an estimated $24.8 million for immediate or near-term needs. A separate list of recommended improvements, such as asbestos removal, totals another $29.6 million.
Renovation costs represent 82% of what it would cost to replace the building entirely, Gehris told the board. Building a new school on the site, he said, would run only modestly higher than the full renovation price tag.
“From a financial standpoint, it makes sense,” Gehris said. “But more importantly, it allows us to address safety, layout and educational needs that we simply can’t fix in the current structure.”
Gehris said the district wants to modernize security features to match standards implemented at the district’s newer schools.
Riverside’s oldest section on Centre Avenue was opened to 420 students in 1925, according to an article in the Reading Times that year. The bulk of the building dates to 1942 when it was renovated and enlarged.
Both construction phases were designed by Reading architect Frederick A. Muhlenberg, founder of the architectural firm now known as MGA, Wyomissing.
Riverside Elementary School was designed by Reading architect Frederick A. Muhlenberg, founder of the architectural firm now known as MGA, Wyomissing. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Kline, who previously served as Riverside’s principal, detailed the daily challenges the building poses for students and staff.
Seven classrooms have no windows, limiting natural light, she said. The building’s narrow stairways frequently bottleneck during transitions, she added, and there is only one small elevator, a concern both for ADA accommodations and emergency access.
“It’s very difficult to move students safely and efficiently from one part of the building to another,” Kline said. “Even lunch transitions can become complicated because the building flow isn’t designed for today’s student population.”
Safety concerns extend outside the building, she noted.
The main entrance sits at the busy intersection of Centre Avenue and Pike Street, where inclement weather can make student drop-off and pickup treacherous, Kline said. Students arriving late, she noted, enter from Pike Street, a steep hill that becomes slick during rain or snow.
Administrators emphasized that constructing a new facility on the Riverside property would allow students to remain in the existing building during most of the project. Renovation, by contrast, would likely require relocating students to temporary space, potentially at the former St. Margaret Catholic School, 235 Spring St., or another nearby site, an option the district prefers to avoid.
If the board authorizes the next steps, the district will seek proposals from architects to design a new school, likely positioned on the corner of Amity and Front streets.
The existing building eventually would be demolished.
Additional analyses, including asbestos testing and environmental reviews, will be conducted before final decisions are made.
“We’re trying to get our buildings ready for the next wave of adequacy funding,” Gehris said. “We want facilities that are safe, modern and prepared to support the academic work our staff is doing.”
No action was taken at the meeting.
Administrators said they plan to return with formal motions in the coming months as analysis continues and design concepts take shape.
Riverside Elementary School, 1400 Centre Ave., was constructed in 1925 and enlarged in 1942 (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)