AG to install artificial turf
Albert Gallatin Area School District’s sports teams could be playing on artificial turf as early as the fall varsity football season. The school board Wednesday awarded a $748,374 contract to Pro Grass for the new field and also a new running track at the high school stadium.
They hired Fairchance Construction as project manager, at a fee of $9,500.
The move was not without some question when a representative of Field Turf of Montreal, Canada, spoke out from the audience, saying Field Turf would watch the installation because of what he called suspicions of patent infringement issues. Solicitor Lee Price asked the man whether his company has reached any conclusions of patent infringements, and the man said no.
The field and track project comes under a $2.5 million bond issue the school board voted to float last month. The money is also earmarked for air conditioning at D. Ferd Swaney, Smithfield and Friendship Hill elementary schools; air conditioning for the high school gymnasium and auditorium; outdoor storage facilities for the elementary schools and central administration building; and a performing arts addition to the high school stage.
Superintendent Walter Vicinelly said school officials looked at six to eight products for the sports field and chose Pro Grass as the lowest responsible bidder.
He said the school district has spent $35,000 to $42,000 a year on maintenance of the fields for such work as reseeding, painting lines, replacing grass and replacing crowns as well as transportation of students among fields at the schools. He said there was also a concern about safety with the field conditions.
Vicinelly said the new surface will withstand more use, and as many games and events as possible will be staged there.
In other business, the school board hired Tina Burns as high school principal, at a salary of $77,557.
She comes to A.G. after serving as Somerset Middle School principal.
Vicinelly said the district received about 15 to 20 applications for the job, and nine of those applicants received interviews. He said the field was narrowed to three candidates, who received a second interview.
Vicinelly said the school board could take action at a special meeting July 30 on the vacant assistant high school principal position.
The board hired Sundeigh Plesko, Michael Dunham and Eric Moore as high school biology teachers.
The directors also hired Dominque Sebek as a high school chemistry teacher, although the vote was split 6-3, with Edward Colebank, Edward Sutton and President John Gruskowski voting no.
Further, the board hired Jeff Azzardi as a custodian and Kirk Wright as head girls soccer coach and voted to create and advertise for one ROTC instructor at the high school.