Buckingham supervisors approve multi-million dollar project at Friends school

It’s an exciting time at the 228-year-old Buckingham Friends School.
The township board of supervisors at its July 27 meeting unanimously granted preliminary and final land development approval for a multi-million dollar project at the private K-8 Quaker school at 5684 York Road in the Lahaska section of the township.
Work will include a new gymnasium to replace the existing structure built in 1952, a new science center and renovation of the main building, said Buckingham Friends Head of School Paul Lindenmaier, who was accompanied at the meeting by attorney Ed Murphy and engineer Gregory Glitzer.
“Fantastic,” Supervisor Maggie Rash said of the project after voting along with fellow board members Paul Calderaio and Jon Forest to approve it.
Lindenmaier said he hopes construction can start sometime in October and be completed in about a year. He added that funding for the project is all coming from the largest capital campaign in the school’s history and that most of the money needed for the work has already been raised.

The new science center at the school’s 44-acre campus will allow a lab to be moved out of the main building, freeing up space to enlarge classrooms for grades 3-5 while creating two signature learning commons.
It’s “all to better support teaching and learning and the vision and goals in our 2019 strategic plan,” Lindenmaier said.
“I have to praise the vision of our thoughtful board and the extraordinary collaboration of our stellar faculty and the meticulous architects at Centerbrook, for finding creative approaches to refine campus plans in ways that are cost conscious, sustainable and respectful to our community and traditions,” he added in a letter sent out to the school community.
“Brand new buildings will blend harmoniously with our centuries-old campus. We will continue to respect and protect this beautiful environment while finding new ways to integrate teaching and learning across our many acres of woods and fields.”
Current enrollment at Buckingham Friends is 178 students, Lindenmaier said.

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