Update on Progress of RHS ADA Accessibility and Wellness Project

Dear Radnor Community,

I hope you are enjoying your summer. I’m writing to update everyone on our ADA Accessibility and Wellness Infrastructure Project taking place at Radnor High School.

To quickly recap, the work in progress began in Spring 2021 and includes new bleachers on Encke and Prevost fields; a new Field House that houses bathrooms, a concession stand, and team/locker rooms; and a new Fitness and Wellness Center. All these areas will now be fully ADA accessible to all students and community members. The project also includes many renovations and improvements to facilities that were long overdue, such as: 

• The replacement of Prevost Field track and turf that were well beyond their life span 
• Connective ADA walkways and ramp systems that unite the campus and public restroom facilities that bring the school up to code 
• A new pool deck, pool shell, ADA accessibility for all, new pool filtration and pump systems, and an improved ventilation system  
• Air conditioning in the Main Gym and Auxiliary Gym areas  
• Three new classroom spaces, support offices, and storage 
• Improved access to trainer and trainer facilities  

All of these improvements will greatly benefit the well-being of our students and everyone in our community for years to come. We are proud and excited to unveil them. 

We also realize the disruption these improvements have caused students, sports teams, activities, and youth programs since construction began. We truly appreciate your patience, adaptability, and support for this large-scale and important project during this time.

Over the last year-and-a-half, we have faced many challenges not uncommon for a project of this scope. For example, we hoped the new turf on Prevost Field would be completed by now. Unfortunately, unforeseen regulation changes by the Environmental Protection Agency regarding mineral counts in soil meant we had to pause work on the excavation and installation of the stormwater management system under Prevost Field and redirect construction efforts to other areas of the site.

We also encountered challenges when the main water line for RHS was found to be under the Encke Field bleachers instead of below the school's main driveway as indicated on older site plans.

With every challenge, our construction team worked hard to keep the project moving forward by beginning work in another area of the site to strive to meet our original overall completion date of this November. We continue to strive for this date, however challenges encountered over the course of the project continue to have an impact as we come down the final stretch toward completion. 

As we get closer to the finish line, we know additional challenges could impact our schedule for completion. We plan to open and use sections of the project as they are completed prior to November. You can view the current projected completion dates for all project sections on the project webpage. Please note that any dates we publish may change and we will regularly update our website with any changes.  

Our high school administration and athletic department have been working hard this summer and throughout the project to be prepared with contingency plans, so all activities and athletics continue, but just not in the location we anticipated.

For example, we had hoped to host our first football games this fall on Prevost Field, however, we will now play our first games away or at a neutral site. We remain hopeful that our team, marching band, cheer, and color guard will be back on our home field in October. If we are unable to be home in October, we will be prepared for an alternative site and will keep our community informed. We will be equally prepared and continue to prioritize an earlier use of the field if possible. We were encouraged to have our contractors begin rolling out new turf this past weekend and will continue to work through the weekends to complete turf installation.  

We will soon list on the project's webpage the impact and plan for each of our athletic teams and community use of our facilities. We will also communicate directly to coaches, students, and others who are hosting activities about anticipated changes and locations for practices and events.

We will continue to publish photos of our work in progress, which you can also view on the project webpage, and we will be advertising additional community and student tours to keep everyone informed.

We thank our entire community, including our amazing students, for your ongoing flexibility and understanding. 

Sincerely, 

Ken 

Kenneth E. Batchelor 
Superintendent of Schools

Project Webpage