Carlisle Area School District is researching the suitability of a third potential site for the construction of a proposed 7-8 school building. School board members could vote Thursday to hire an Allentown-based engineering firm to conduct a geotechnical study of the ground beneath the field behind the Barr Auditorium of the McGowan building of Carlisle High School. Barry Issett and Associates could have technicians onsite within two to three weeks for phase one of the $18,600 study.
During that phase, technicians would evaluate the soil conditions, the depth of rock and the subsurface water conditions of what is believed to be a fill area from when the McGowan building was constructed decades ago. Phase two of the study would only take place after a building design is established, Superintendent Colleen Friend said last week. That phase would involve additional test borings taken at precise foundation locations along with test pits for storm water analysis.
“This is a critical step in determining if the site adjacent to the McGowan building presents any issues for the location of the 7-8 building,” Friend wrote in a memo to board members. Two other sites are being looked at for the school as administrators review Model 6, an option tied to an initiative to reconfigure grades K-8. Currently, the district operates seven K-5 elementary schools, two 6-8 middle schools and a 9-12 high school.
Friend has recommended a deeper analysis of Model 6 that calls for a new layer of gra.
