SOUTHERN LOCAL District prepares for expansion

SALINEVILLE -- Southern Local school officials will break ground at 1 p.m. Saturday in Washington Township for a $14.3 million addition to the junior-senior high.
Superintendent Fred Burns said school officials are inviting pupils and parents, current and former staff and anyone else with an interest in the school district to attend.
He said the board of education voted Wednesday to hire Stitle Construction of Salem as the general contractor.
What's involved: Plans include renovation and an addition to the junior-senior high, converting it into a kindergarten-through-12th grade complex.
The job will include building a second cafeteria and a 300-seat gymnasium for elementary and junior high pupils. The expansion and renovation is aimed at alleviating overcrowding and modernizing school facilities.
The new school will put all the district's approximately 900 pupils at one location. School officials will close and eventually sell the intermediate school in Salineville and renovate the primary school on state Route 39 for administrative office and storage space.
School officials have said it may be late in 2003 before the project is completed. They had originally hoped to break ground in June 2001, but schedules changed because of delays in state approval of construction plans.
About $11.2 million in state funding will help pay for the project. The remainder will come from the district.