Austintown board awards track replacement pact

August 9, 2007 at 10:58p.m.

AUSTINTOWN — Thanks to a move by the board of education, the reconstruction of the track at Austintown Fitch High School is closer at hand.

At their meeting Thursday, school officials approved hiring R.T. Vernal Paving and Excavating Inc. of North Lima to reconstruct the track. The company came in with the lowest bid of $244,750.

Last May, groundskeepers made repairs to the track, which began to bubble a few minutes before a regional finals meet, recalled Rob Conklin, athletic director. The event went on, but by the next day, the track had buckled in numerous places, Conklin noted.

Work is necessary for safety reasons and will include making the track more level as well as replacing the asphalt and underlying base materials, explained Thomas D. Hura, the district’s director of business services. The project should get under way shortly, he said.

For the complete story, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.