NESHANNOCK AREA Board awards auditorium contracts

The district gives some students $500 to hire tutors.
By LAURA MILOSER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Neshannock Area School Board has voted to begin renovations to the high school auditorium.
The board awarded contracts Thursday by a 5-3 vote to:
UGEM Contractors of New Castle, general, $424,743; and seating and flooring, $191,743.
UHampton Mechanical Inc. of Gibsonia, mechanical, $17,500.
UVrabel Plumbing Co. of Gibsonia, plumbing, $18,200.
UR.E. Yates Inc. of New Castle, electrical, $199,100. Board members Cheryl Kimmel, James Kearney and Jay Vitale voted against the renovation plan. Dr. John Dietz was absent.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Hink said $642,000 was allotted for the project. He explained that the district will have to borrow the money.
Kimmel, Kearney and Vitale said after the meeting that they voted against the project because the district will need to borrow an additional $210,000 to complete it.
Vitale added that he might have agreed to the project if the renovation did not include new seating.
The district has been soliciting donations for new auditorium seating. Curriculum Director Mark Ferrara told the board $15,000 has been raised through donations. There are 900 seats in the auditorium, and the project calls for that number to be maintained.
Program response
In other business, Ferrara said the district's administrators are pleased with the response given to the Classroom Plus program, which helps pupils in kindergarten through ninth grade who are not proficient in reading and or math. Ferrara said about 70 pupils are participating in the 25-day program. Each child is given $500 for tutoring, and it may be used at any state-approved provider.
Board member Joseph Gierlach advised the board that the state championship Neshannock High School Baseball team would be honored at New Castle Day at the Pittsburgh Pirates game Aug. 11.
In other business, the board hired:
UTracy Juricich of New Castle as an elementary teacher at an annual salary of $38,434.
UJenny Marshall of New Castle as a special education teacher at $33,878per year.
UCynthia Maynard of New Castle as head girls volleyball coach at Step I of the athletic salary at $2,637.
UCapital Asset Protection, Inc. as security provider for $13.95 per hour.
UCheryl Thomson-Hardy as custodian at a rate of $13.83 per hour.
UCrystal Sue Ball as regular bus driver for $58.22 per day.