JM board considers gym repair
JEFFERSON – The Jefferson-Morgan School Board is poised to act next month to fix a water damage problem at the high school gymnasium. Directors discussed the issue during their meeting Monday evening.
Business manager Jennifer Foringer said a geotechnical study has been done to determine the source of the moisture, which required the gym floor to be removed in September.
She said the problem was likely caused because aggregate material was not installed underneath the floor and the foundation was never waterproofed.
Now that the study is complete, architect Tom Durkin of Valentour English Bodnar & Howell has recommended that the board solicit bids for the project early next month, she said.
Board members could award contracts for the work at a meeting to be held later in December, and the project could be complete by the end of January, she said.
Foringer said the state Department of Education has waived the normal advertising process for bids because of the emergency nature of the project, and Durkin has provided the district with three contractors that can be provided specifications as soon as the board approves them.
“There’s an urgency here with winter sports and gym classes,” she said.
Donna Furnier, acting superintendent, said students have used the high school auditorium or have been outdoors for physical education, but the outdoor option is not viable now that the weather has turned colder.
She said a plan has been developed with transportation provider Laidlaw to bus the students to the new fieldhouse three days a week at a cost of $140 per day.
“The sooner we get this completed, the fewer trips we’ll have to make to the fieldhouse,” she said.
Furnier said students could be taken to the building as early as next week, after officials from the state Department of Labor and Industry review the site and issue an occupancy permit.
She said the district has yet to hear from its insurance carrier about whether it will reimburse Jefferson-Morgan for the floor replacement and the water damage.
The district has complied with all the company’s requests, according to Furnier.
“We wanted to ensure that, were we eligible, we did not make an error procedurally,” Furnier said.
Last month, the board heard that the replacement project could cost $105,000 or more, but no estimate was provided to directors at the Monday meeting.
Furnier noted she met with a member of state Rep. H. William DeWeese’s staff concerning grant money that might be available to help the district offset the cost of the work.
She said the grant application is due in Harrisburg Dec. 15. She said she will have more information at the board’s reorganization meeting.
Among other business, the board approved Furnier’s goals and objectives for the 2005-06 school year.
Furnier thanked outgoing directors Mark Grimes and Mark Starostanko for their service to the school district and community.
Election winners John Cantoni, a former school director, and newcomer Cindy Jento will take their seats on the board at the Dec. 5 reorganization meeting.