LH board to seek bids for Marshall addition
In an attempt to adhere to a strict project timetable, the Laurel Highlands School Board voted Thursday to solicit bids for a four-classroom addition to George C. Marshall Elementary School so that work can be completed for the start of the next school year. Directors voted 6-3 to advertise for bids for the project, which has an estimated cost of $750,000 and will not qualify for reimbursement from the state because the school is not being completely renovated. Cathy Rice joined Angelo Giachetti and Shirley Kefover in voting against the action.
During a vote earlier in the meeting, directors Mary Conway and James F. Burns voted no, but changed their vote when the motion was re-introduced later in the session.
Last month, representatives from architect Michael S. Molnar Associates told the board that the classrooms could be available by the beginning of the 2005-06 school year if bids are advertised by January and contracts are awarded in February.
Rice said after the meeting that she was not opposed to the addition to Marshall, but the board’s action did not follow the process outlined to directors last month. “It didn’t proceed the way I thought it was going to, which was the way it was outlined,” she said.
Giachetti said he voted against the rooms because the construction in the spring will only disrupt students, and it will not solve overcrowding problems at the school this year. He said that Kennedy Elementary School, which was closed this summer, should have remained open an extra year and work could have been completed at Marshall with little interruption. “If we do it, we should wait until the end of the school year and then look at our enrollment to see if we even need it,” he said.
The board has already approved a $7.5 million bond issue to pay for the additional rooms at Marshall and a renovation to Hutchinson Elementary School.
In regards to Hutchinson, the state Department of Education has approved the project’s justification and its schematic design, and the board voted to hold an Act 34 hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Laurel Highlands Middle School about the project.
Act 34 hearings are required by school districts to explain to the public what work is entailed and the maximum construction cost of any renovation.
Once under way, the renovation to Hutchinson is expected to take two summers, according to architect reports.
In other facility news, William Martin, director of buildings and grounds, updated the board on several issues, including bids to repair the slope slippage problem at the athletic field and construction of a new fieldhouse.
Bid specifications for the slope problem will be advertised in advance of a Nov. 15 bid opening, which will provide enough time for the board to take action at its Nov. 18 meeting, he said. Two different companies have prepared specifications, Martin said, but costs will not be known until bids have been opened.
As for the fieldhouse, Martin said the restrooms are functioning and about half of the building’s roof is finished. More of the roof might be complete before Friday’s home football game against Uniontown, he said, noting that work on the restrooms was a priority because patrons have had to use facilities in the high school and portable toilets this football season.
Before adjourning, the board also voted to increase the salary of Superintendent Dr. Ronald Sheba by $3,000 for the 2004-05 school year. The increase will bring his salary to more than $108,000.
Board President Edward S. George said Sheba did not receive an increase last year, which was the first year of his new contract, and the agreement does not call for automatic raises.
Director Beverly Beal joined Rice, Kefover and Sabatine in voting against the salary increase for Sheba.