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P-O school board given green light on building project
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
By Terry Whetstone Staff Writer
OSCEOLA MILLS - Following several 8-1 votes at last night's Philipsburg-Osceola school board meeting, a building project has been given the green light and will be commencing soon.
The board heard from Walter J. Tack, senior pre-construction manager for Reynolds Construction in Harrisburg. He presented several additions to the agenda for board approval to get the building project underway at North Lincoln Hill.
Tack advised that several alternate bids could be added to the proposed project, including the removal of the proposed auditorium, which board members did not want to eliminate.
The entire project will cost approximately $19,360,000. Tack asked the board to approve the following bids that were opened last week.
The following bids were accepted with an 8-1 vote: General Trades Construction, awarded to Lobar Inc. with a bid of $9,869,000; roofing construction awarded to David Maines and Associates Inc. with a bid $824,000; food service equipment awarded to 11400, Inc. with a bid of $423,000; fire protection construction awarded to S.A. Communale Inc., with a bid of $578,268; plumbing construction, awarded to Jay R. Reynolds Inc. with a bid of $1,289,000; HVAC construction awarded to Worth and Co. with a bid of $3,224,000 and the electrical construction went to Bob Biter Electric Inc. with a bid of $3,153,000.
Those in favor included board president Steve Switala, vice president Rebecca Timchak, Brian Soltys, Mary Ellen Holden, Elizabeth Whitehead, Todd Jeffries, Bob Selfridge and Linda Bush. Jim Verbeck cast the lone dissenting votes.
The board also approved submitting Plan Con F, attachment C to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and they approved submitting Plan Con G for the building project to the PDE as well.
Tack said he anticipates construction possibly beginning sometime in July. He said the letters of acceptance will be sent out and he will advise the contractors to get their paperwork in, including proof of insurance and such.
After all of the paperwork is in and reviewed and signed by the district a notice to proceed will be issued.
Another topic of conversation as last nights meeting included the budget and the millage. Business manager Michael Conte suggested to the board approving the millage be increased to the allowed index to give the district an addition $224,000.
"I don't think we should raise it," Verbeck said. "It'll put a burden on the residents they don't need now."
The millage was accepted at 51.56 for Centre County, down .05 from last year and in Clearfield it will be 115.50 mills, down 2.21 from last year.
Conte said the property values have been reassessed and that's why they have come down some.
The board also unanimously approved the 2012-13 budget in the amount of $27,252,966.
The approval to accept a job description for a half-time literacy assessment data liaison passed with a 5-4 vote. Those in favor of the description include Bush, Whitehead, Selfridge, Switala and Soltys.
Holden, who cast one of the dissenting votes, said she doesn't like the fact the job was advertised to fit the person who desired the job. Verbeck, Jeffries and Timchak also voted no on the motion.
The board then approved hiring Dena Cipriano for the position at a salary of $47,200. Half of her salary will come from the Keystones to Opportunity grant. The same 5-4 vote was cast for the hire. The board also hired Robin Bober as a half time literacy assessment data liaison for 220 days per year at a salary of $74,360.
In other business, the board:
• hired Carol Prentice as a Title I Summer School Reading Assistant.
• approved the following as Academy of Learning Summer School Staff: Jackie Mills, math; Rebecca Kohute, English; Neil Rage, social studies; Jennifer McDonald, science and Barry Raker, lab.
• increased the salaries of Vladimir Sidorick, district technology/network facilitator by $638.06 per year and Chandler DeLattre district technology/network facilitator by $600 a year. Switala said they are not part of a union and are not part of the association so when other employees get a raise, these two gentlemen do not.
• approved Jeremy Potter as an assistant varsity baseball coach at a salary of $2,271.46.
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