Uniontown school renovation project set to begin by August 2009
The public attending the Uniontown Area School Board regular business meeting held recently learned that renovation and construction projects to the three city schools are tentatively scheduled to be underway by August 2009. “These are preliminary plans,” explained Alan P. George, chairman of the board’s buildings and grounds committee, at the Aug. 18 meeting. “The architect will look at how we can do that. We’ll keep moving forward to get to the date of August 2009.”
Suggestions on which building projects the board should pursue regarding the three city schools were included in a facility master plan presented by MGT of America in July.
Under the board’s plan, Lafayette School will be demolished and a new school will be constructed on the existing site.
Ben Franklin School will be renovated and will house the district’s administration offices, which will move from Central School on East Church Street in Uniontown.
Local preservationists have suggested turning Central School into an art and history center and had approached the board with the suggestion in September 2006.
The high school will be renovated with part of it being converted into a middle school to accommodate students from Ben Franklin, Lafayette Menallen and Franklin schools. Seventh- and eighth-grade students residing in the mountain area will continue to attend A.J. McMullen School.
Kindergarten students residing in the Lafayette and Ben Franklin schools’ attendance areas will attend their neighborhood school instead of the Iowa Street Kindergarten Center, which the district plans to turn into an alternative school. The district will discontinue its usage of Haddenville School.
According to an estimated timeline crafted by the school district’s architect, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg, the Lafayette and Ben Franklin projects should be completed by December 2010, while work to the high school should be completed in August 2011.
George said the district formed a small committee comprised of board members, administrators, the architect and the construction manager, Rob Smalley, formerly the district’s director of buildings and grounds, to keep up with the progress of the building projects.
Todd Hamel, the district’s technology coordinator, was moved into Smalley’s former position, while Gary Dawson, newly hired by the board in January as a special technology projects coordinator, took over Hamel’s duties.
George said the architect has reviewed the MGT study and met with administrators to go over the district’s educational programming and to figure out how many additional rooms will be needed to accommodate the programs.
“(The project schedule) is not set in stone, but we will try to meet certain dates,” said George.
MGT estimated high school renovations to cost $26.4 million, a cost that includes a $7.8 million “addition for capacity;” a new Lafayette School to cost $8.4 million; and a renovation to Ben Franklin to cost $9.2 million.
Together, the three projects are estimated to cost $44 million. The price will increase to $48.6 million with a 5 percent annual inflation allowance factored in, according to MGT.
The board has available $34.8 million in borrowed funds to pay for building improvement projects.
The board canceled a former high school renovation plan in December and has since moved forward with a new plan including projects addressing the three city schools.
In other business, Charles Yasechko, principal of Menallen School, announced plans for volunteers to transform the school’s courtyard into an outdoor environmental learning space.
He said the project will be funded through a $12,000 Fay-Penn Economic Development Council educational grant. Plans call for the construction of a butterfly garden with plants native to southwestern Pennsylvania, an outdoor theatre and a concrete pathway to access a performance garden.
Yasechko said third-grade teacher, Michelle Komacek, developed the idea with the help of Dr. Peter Wright, California University of Pennsylvania professor in the department of applied engineering and technology. Wright’s students, along with parent volunteers, expressed interest in helping to complete the project, according to Yasechko.
The project is expected to be underway by spring, but may take a year or two to complete depending on funding, Yasechko said.
Board member Dorothy Grahek asked about a drainage problem in the courtyard, while the district’s Solicitor Michael Brungo raised concerns about liability issues and the time and materials being donated, noting the district usually accepts bids for such work.
“(This project) is better than keeping (the courtyard) a wasteland, as it has been,” replied Yasechko. “(This project will turn the courtyard) into something functional and educational that will benefit the whole building.”
The board also awarded a contract to Causey, Dengen & Moore to perform an arbitrage audit at a cost not to exceed $8,000 that will be paid from bond proceeds.
Sonya Over, business manager, said the Denver, Colo.-based firm specializes in arbitrage audits. Over said the cost to the district for the audit is expected to be $5,200. She said the audit will determine if the district accumulated excess interest on a $34.8 million bond issue for capital projects.
If it has earned more interest than allowed by the IRS., the district will be expected to pay back any excess amount. Over said she doesn’t expect the district to have to repay a large amount of money.
The arbitrage audit is required to be conducted on any bond proceeds that haven’t been spent over a five-year period, she said. Over said she may report the findings of the audit in October.
The board also:
– Accepted the resignation due to retirement of Anita M. Filcheck as a mid-level math teacher at Ben Franklin School and of Steven J. Dawson as a social studies teacher at A.J. McMullen School.
– Accepted the resignation of Melissa L. Celaschi as a high school chemistry teacher, effective Aug. 7 and then re-hired Celaschi as a high school chemistry teacher, effective Aug. 22. The board initially hired Celaschi earlier this month, but rehired her at the correct salary level, according to Dr. Charles Machesky, superintendent.
– Approved the following insurance premiums for the upcoming school term to: All Sports which will cover approximately 600 students at a cost of $10,500; School Time Insurance, at a cost of $22.50 per student to be paid by the parent; and 24-hour Insurance at a cost of $90 per student to be paid by the parent.
– Selected Ryan T. Krysak as high school assistant boys varsity soccer coach at the endorsement of the head coach. Krysak will be paid $1,469.
– Added Joyce L. Poremba, Melissa S. Wass, Marc R. Moscoloni and George M. Reagan to the professional substitute list; Lacey Voyten of Farmington to the substitute list for secretaries, clerk typists and teacher’s aides; David James Prescott of Waltersburg to the list of substitute aides; and Rosa Trillow of Ohiopyle to the cafeteria substitute list.
– Created and posted a club sponsor position responsible for overseeing a new drama club at Lafayette School. Teachers have the first opportunity to bid on the position. The sponsor would receive $360 for their work, according to the motion approved by the board.
– Scheduled the next regular meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15 in the high school band room.
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