Reading Schools Approve $3.65M Auditorium Job

The Reading School District board approved about $3.65 million in contracts to renovate the auditorium at Southern Middle School at its regular meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. The vote was 8-0, with one director absent for the vote.

This is the Reading School District, the public school system, not the City of Reading government. The two are separate bodies with separate budgets and separate boards.

The main vote: four contracts for one auditorium

Pennsylvania's Separations Act requires public school construction to be bid in separate prime contracts for the general, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, so the single auditorium project drew four winning bidders. The board approved all four as item 12.1, on a motion by Robin Costenbader-Jacobson, seconded by Yajaira Stone:

• General construction: Uhrig Construction Inc., $1,653,000
• Mechanical: ASL Refrigeration, Inc., $251,200
• Electrical: Schipsi Electric, $1,475,770
• Plumbing: Vision Mechanical, $267,000

The four awards add up to $3,646,970. The minutes list the contracts separately and do not print a combined total. They approve the awards "per the attached Letter of Recommendation and Bid Tabulation sheet," which was not part of the posted minutes, and they do not say how the district will pay for the work or when it will start and finish.

Director Patricia Wright, who had joined by phone, left the meeting at 8:03 p.m. and was marked absent for the facilities votes, which is why they carried 8-0 rather than 9-0.

The rest of the facilities slate

The board approved five other building and safety items in the same section, each 8-0:

• A $54,000 proposal from Consolidated Engineers to design a new fire-alarm system at Central Middle School, which the minutes call "an emergency due to the state of the current fire alarm system."
• An $88,625.25 change order at Reservoir Field to add a sound-reinforcement system to the Comfort Station Renovations project.
• A $54,500 amendment to the district's architectural agreement with AEM Architects for the Reading High School kitchen and cafeteria renovation.
• $44,470 to Unified Door and Hardware to replace six sets of entrance doors and hardware at the Northeast auditorium, bought through a state Co-Stars contract.
• Two CEIA OPENGATE weapons-detection units, a type of metal detector, from School Specialty, not to exceed $45,651.13 from the general fund, to be used "at athletic events, senior graduation, and prom."

Earlier in the meeting the board also ratified the August bill list of $13,411,252.77 and approved a September construction bill list of $4,305,479.04. Those are payments on work already under way, a different matter from the new construction contracts the board awarded Wednesday night.

What it means for taxpayers

School construction and spending reach local tax bills, because the school-district share is the largest piece of most property tax bills in Berks County. For how that works, see our guide to Berks County property tax explained. This recap follows our preview of the September 23 vote; for other district coverage, see our report on the Reading school district cafeteria workers contract.

The district posts its agendas and minutes through Keystone Agenda. Its next regular board meeting is in October.