Fels construction
meeting set in Olney

By Diane Villano
Times Staff Writer

The School District of Philadelphia has set two meetings to update the community and the families of students who will attend the new Samuel Fels High School to be built on the site of the old John F. Kennedy Hospital at 5500 Langdon Road.
The 250,000-square-foot building will replace the overcrowded and outdated Fels building at Algon and Devereaux avenues.
A March 29 meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Grover Washington Middle School, at 201 E. Olney Ave., in Olney. A second meeting is slated for April 12 at 6 p.m. at the Glading Memorial Presbyterian Church, Cheltenham and Loretto avenues.
According to Anton Hackett, the director of external and community affairs for the school district, the Olney meeting is intended to reach out to parents of students from feeder schools.
Staging for the construction, which includes erecting a fence, will begin the first week of April, Hackett said, although there still are some outstanding issues with the city’s Department of Licenses & Inspections regarding new stormwater regulations.
"We are still moving ahead and anticipating that (permits) will come through," Hackett said, adding that any delay wouldn’t prevent them from setting up the work site.
Original estimates had projected a $43 million price tag for the new Fels school. In 2006, the price had skyrocketed to $76 million, largely because of increased materials costs over time, and forced project officials with the School District of Philadelphia to revise engineering systems and designs to bring the budget to its current $68 million.
The project is scheduled to be completed by February 2009. ••
Reporter Diane Villano can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com