YOUNGSTOWN Schools Web site previewed

The new Web site will officially launch July 24.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Board of education members got a sneak preview of the school district's facilities project Web site, which will make its debut later this month.
The site -- www.youngstownschools.com -- is designed to update the community on renovations, moving dates and even demolition dates of all schools in the city.
Carla Clark of Web at Work Inc., which designed the site, unveiled it to board members at Tuesday's meeting.
The site provides statistical information on each school in the district, including assessments of each building's needed upgrades and renovations.
A list of school board members and their committee memberships is also available, as are links to related sites, schedules of events in the school district and alerts via e-mail in relation to specific school buildings.
Web at Work Inc. was contracted by the board at an hourly rate of $54, with the final cost not to exceed $23,000. Board members were not mandated to create the site, but decided it would help keep the public informed, explained Ben McGee, Youngstown schools superintendent.
"We thought it would be a good way to keep the public informed of what was going on with the facilities project," he said.
Renovations
In related news, board members heard a presentation regarding renovations at North Elementary School.
Proposed work includes replacing roughly 60 percent of the building's roof, converting the gymnasium into a gym/media center complete with a computer lab and converting the auditorium into a "cafetorium," where students will eat meals but also be able to gather for presentations.
Other work will include closing off a tunnel in the building's basement and a coal bin located underneath a paved area. The tunnel was originally built when the heating system in the school's basement was used to heat it and an adjacent school building, which has since been demolished.
McGee said the most of the actual work on the building will not happen for some time, but that roofing work could begin as early as next spring.
slshaulis@vindy.com