The Bristol Township (Pa.) school board plans to spend up to $53.9 million on renovations to the now-closed Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Levittown.
The Bucks County Courier Times reports that the cost is $33.4 million more than the estimate when the district proposed a facility upgrade in the 2012-13 school year.
Joshua Sweigard, district business manager, says the increased price of the project is because construction costs are higher and the scope of the project has increased.
The project now includes a 38,000-square-foot addition, bringing the total building size to 156,490 square feet. The school also will get a more secure front entrance, new roof and mechanical systems, and modernized auditorium, cafeteria and gym areas.
Work is expected to begin this summer. The architect is SchraderGroup.
Once renovated, the Franklin school will replace the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Middle School on Route 413. The district plans to close and sell that building.
