Board approves cost for area sewer project

A Salem company will construct sewer service to the new school building.
By JoANN JONES
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BELOIT -- West Branch Board of Education authorized $55,967 to pay the Mahoning County Board of commissioners for the construction of sanitary sewer service to the new Damascus Elementary building.
At a special meeting last week, the board passed a resolution for the school system and the county to work together to lower costs for the district.
The county's sanitary engineer's office will award the bid for the work to the low bidder for the project, Morris Builders of Salem.
"The commissioners are willing to bring the Damascus sewer to the building," district Treasurer Karen Elsner said. "It's the most cost-effective thing to do because it is cheaper for us to pay sewer rates to Mahoning County."
Elsner said the move avoids the cost of constructing a sewage disposal plant as well as the district's having to maintain and operate its own plant.
Resolution
Board members also passed a resolution to amend the master facilities plan and budget of the Ohio School Facilities Commission building project that has been ongoing in the district.
The resolution allocated funds for design and construction work for food service equipment as well as space to renovate the older part of the high school.
It also allowed for an increase in square footage in the new kindergarten-through-eighth-grade building south of the high school to secure one additional classroom for preschool children. These projects already have been completed and can now be paid for.
Elsner said the state takes care of 80 percent of the cost of these projects, while the district pays the remaining 20 percent.
She said she was able to earn the district about $1.6 million through investments of the district's bonded money being held for completion of the project.
Other projects
In addition, the board authorized change orders to Aerotech Mechanical Contractors of Youngstown in the amount of $370,000 for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning for the high school and K-8 projects.
Elsner said these were necessary changes to engineering documents for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The local cost of these change orders, Elsner said, is $72,198. The change orders are in excess of the $25,000 Superintendent Scott Weingart is permitted to approve without board authorization.