Connellsville schools to receive air conditioning
CONNELLSVILLE – Two Connellsville Area School District elementary schools will receive air conditioning as the district continues its plan to renovate its buildings. The school board awarded contracts this week to Pine Hollow Mechanical Inc. of Uniontown for the installation of the system at South Side Elementary School and Corrie-Shoff Electric Inc. of North Huntingdon to provide the electrical service.
Similar work will be completed at Dunbar Township Elementary School, with John Hall Inc. of Ligonier to provide system work and Miller Electrical Contractor Inc. of Uniontown handling electrical work.
District Superintendent Gerald Browell said the $1.65 million total cost associated with the installations was nearly $775,000 less than the board anticipated.
The district also plans to install air conditioning systems at Zachariah Connell, C.N. Pritts and Connellsville Township elementary schools in the next several months.
Although the five buildings will be considered for renovation in the future, Browell said the installation of the cooling systems would not interfere with the work.
“We would have paid for this kind of thing, anyway,” he said. “It will not be counterproductive at all.”
Turning to other business, the board approved the sale of the West Leisenring School property to J.W. Rozgony of Uniontown for $31,555. The building was appraised at $79,400.
“We would have liked to have received the appraised value of the property, but it is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it,” said Browell.
The board approved the sale after Intermediate Unit 1 declined to renew its lease for the Bute Road property after using the site for 35 years.
Last month, the board rejected bids of $6,500 to $16,800.
“We’re please with this latest amount,” said Browell.
The board also conducted the following business:
– Agreed to purchase a double-acting door for the Junior High East kitchen, at a cost of $1,019.
– Approved the purchase of a 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck with a snowplow through the Central Westmoreland Council of Governments Cooperative Purchasing Program, at a cost of $27,500.
– Hired Tara Kurtz, Jennifer Puskar and Michelle Basinger as long-term substitute teachers.
– Named Katy Clawson, Gwen Cunningham, Richard Evans, Melissa King and Charles Michael to the professional substitute list.
– Hired Karen Nichelson and Cheryl Pritts as personal student aides.
– Approved the creation of an additional special education class at Zachariah Connell Elementary School.
– Renewed the one-year school agreement operating license service through Dell Computer Corp. for Microsoft computer software for the district’s 1,800 computers, at a cost of $75,150.