Thursday, April 27, 2006
McDONALD -- School board president Robert Jones Jr. and members of his family repaired the balcony that hangs over the home-side bleachers in the McDonald High School gym, thereby saving the school district about $9,000.
School Treasurer Thomas Radabaugh said the balcony, which was used by student athletes and cheerleaders, has been closed off in recent years because it was unsafe.
The wooden balcony measures approximately 25 feet by 50 feet, and Radabaugh said the structure's floor and subfloor had deteriorated.
Jones said that he and his nephew Chad Jones, brother-in-law Jeff Dombrowski and his 80-year-old father, Bob Jones Sr., all of McDonald, helped him repair the floor, which is back in use.
He said materials cost the board $3,250 and doing the work themselves saved $9,000 it would have cost to hire a contractor.
Lou Morocco, a village resident who owns Morocco Services in Mineral Ridge, lent equipment to the workers and helped carry the lumber up to the balcony.