Fitch High stadium to be repaired

There will be 1,200 pupils at the new middle school this fall, officials said.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Fitch High School's stadium will undergo repairs after track season, and the district is hiring an additional administrator for the new middle school.
Engineers have said the west side of the stadium is in such disrepair that it is dangerous and that it should be repaired before football season next fall, athletic director Joe Nohra has said. The west side is the visitors' side.
Superintendent Doug Heuer said the school board agreed to the repairs at its meeting Thursday. The district had already solicited bids on the project, and Jim Santini Builders of Washingtonville, Ohio, will do the work for 230,287.
Nohra told the board at a special meeting March 12 that concrete decks under the stands are sliding because steel braces have rusted. He said there's been no maintenance on the west side in 40 years.
The stands hold 2,000 people. Heuer said the district might still use part of them during track season.
Nohra has also said the high school's running track needs to be repaired. The board told him to get opinions on how to fix it, Heuer said.
Assistant principal
The board also voted to hire a second assistant principal for the new middle school, Heuer said.
The board agreed to the additional assistant because the district expects 1,200 pupils at the school on Raccoon Road, which will open this fall.
Heuer said the North Central Association, the accrediting association the Midwestern states use, recommends one administrator for every 400 to 500 pupils in a building.
He said the position will be advertised starting today until April 20. The new assistant's salary will be in the low 60s, he said.