Bethany Christian School
Oxford, Pennsylvania
By Jennifer Walker-Journey

Linda Lewis knew Bethany Christian School in Oxford, Pennsylvania, needed to expand to accommodate its growing student body. A mission of the Bethany Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the school began in 1980 as a preschool and, at the request of parents, grew year after year until school and church officials decided to stop adding grades after eighth.

Over the years, the school had added modular units to accommodate the additional classes and utilized the church and gym for its art and music classes.

“The modular unit holding our library only was permitted to be on the parking lot for three years, so we knew we had to plan ahead,” Lewis said.

As principal of the school, Lewis was protective of her students and worried about a major construction project that would be undertaken during the school year and in such close proximity to the students. Expansion was a must, but all aspects of safety were paramount – from construction hazards to having strangers working around the building. After all, this community still felt the chills from the 2006 West Nickel Mines School tragedy where five Amish children were killed by an intruder. Lancaster County, where the incident occurred, is about an hour away from Oxford.

Lewis had other concerns about the workers as well. Would they use foul language? Dress inappropriately? Play loud music?

Lewis and other school officials took these concerns to Paul Risk Associates, a general contractor/construction management firm with more than 75 years in the business, and the construction team promised to seriously consider their concerns. Safety and security was just one of the items on the project agenda for Risk, who was charged with a 600-square-foot renovation to reconfigure the entrance for enhanced security and to enlarge the teachers’ lounge, in addition to a 12,000-square-foot addition that was to include eight classrooms (including rooms for art, music, and science), bathrooms, and storage. The project also included reworking the front entrance of the school to create a secure corridor and adding a video security system that scans the school and parking lot, as well as a controlled entry system at the front doors.

Meanwhile, Bethany was actively fundraising. Its board, striving to be good stewards of what was given them, stipulated several items that must be met before construction began. This included paying off the mortgage of the present building and then raising at least half of the $1.25 million projected for the new construction and renovation project. The school launched a capital campaign that was funded by grants, pledges, personal gifts, and a fundraising banquet.

“At one point, we needed another $100,000, and that afternoon an anonymous donor brought in a check for that amount,” Lewis said. “God blessed us beyond what we expected. All through the planning and approvals from the board and church, we prayed that if God did not want this to open we asked him to clearly close the doors. He continued to open them.”

By 2007, the original building was paid off, and Bethany was well on its way of reaching its financial goal. Midway through the project, the house and property behind the school went up for sale, and, after much prayer, the school decided to buy it, even though it added an additional $200,000 to the mortgage.

Appreciating the school’s desire to be cost-effective, Risk priced 12 different building models and hired a site engineer to meet with the Township to obtain approval for non-conforming use. Risk also selected a building layout to fit within a one-acre limit of disturbance, which helped limited land development costs.

“We finally received approval from the Zoning Hearing Board in December 2007 so that we could finalize the design, lock into a guaranteed maximum price, and submit for a building permit for start of construction in early 2008,” said Larry Temple, Risk project manager.

As construction began in early spring of 2008, more doors began to open for Bethany. Family members and friends were able to offer services and products that helped keep the school’s building budget intact. For example, one father brought in his construction crew at no cost and painted the entire building during nights and weekends. The board president even did many of the finishing touches on the windowsills and blinds. Another family member provided flooring and installed it at discounted prices.

Risk also assured school officials that they would take measures to ensure the safety and security of the students.

”On-site safety was most important, since this project adjoined the existing school,” Temple said.

The crew performed daily inspection of safety fences and barricades, and Risk performed background checks on all construction personnel.

Even Lewis was impressed with the crew.

“The men all parked at the far side of the church. They came and went at times that did not interfere with buses and cars. We never heard inappropriate conversation or music, nor was there ever a question about dress. They were all considerate and aware of the students and families. They planned deliveries before school began, and they kept the office updated on any construction events during the day,” she said.

The students also began to appreciate the workers, praying for them over the intercom before class, and the seventh-grade class even took turns bringing them goodies.

Construction was completed by August 15, just in time for the beginning of the school year. The school held a large ribbon-cutting ceremony with more than 200 supporters in attendance. Lewis is pleased with how well the construction process went and especially thrilled to have a safe and comfortable environment for her students to learn.

Paul Risk Associates is a leader in design/build construction, having built its first design/build project in the 1950s. The company has offices in Port Deposit, Maryland, and Quarryville, Pennsylvania, www.paulrisk.com.

FAST FACTS

School: Bethany Christian School

Location: Oxford, Pennsylvania

Student Body: 390 students

Grades Served: Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade

Project Goal: Renovation and addition to accommodate growing student body and adding an enhanced security system

Challenge: School officials were concerned about the safety and security of students while undertaking a major construction project during the school year.

Solution: Paul Risk Associates took extra measures to ensure safety at the job site, did background checks on all crew members, and kept the office aware of unusual construction events that might happen during the day.