CHOFFIN Asbestos removal to begin during winter break

This job is part of a larger, multimillion undertaking.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Renovations at the city schools' Choffin Career and Technical School are scheduled to be undertaken during winter break.
That's when contractors expect to start on an estimated $45,000 job to remove asbestos from the fourth floor of the school, 200 E. Wood St.
The school board plans to meet in special session later today to award a contract for the work.
Workers will use the winter break, when students are off, to remove asbestos contained in the glue used to attach tile and carpeting in the building, constructed in 1973, said Tony DeNiro, director of school business affairs.
The fourth floor has been cleared of students in anticipation of the undertaking. They have been relocated elsewhere in the building.
Part of project
The asbestos removal is just one part of a $10.3 million improvement project being done at Choffin, DeNiro said.
Work at Choffin is part of the city schools' $200 million project that will entail the rebuilding or renovating of 15 school buildings in the next few years.
State funds are being used for about 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent comes from local funds.
Eventually asbestos will be removed from each of Choffin's four floors through separate contracts to be awarded later, DeNiro explained. The $45,000 estimate is for the fourth floor only, he said.
Other work at Choffin as part of the $10.3 million project will include installing a new roof, and a new heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system. New sprinklers, lights, floor tile and doors also will be put in.
In addition, plans call for renovating the school's entrance and administrative offices, DeNiro said.
It will take about two more years to finish the improvements at the school, he added.
Late last month, the district opened its new Harding Elementary, a $7.8 million structure built on the North Side.
Work is progressing on a new West Elementary, being built on Schenley Avenue. That structure is set to open in fall 2005.
leigh@vindy.com