Finance panel favors new track at Chaney

By Denise Dick

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The track at Chaney High School has been in place for about 30 years and needs to be replaced.

The base coat of the track is deteriorating, Harry Evans, school district chief of maintenance, told members of the school board’s finance committee Monday.

“We had to shut down one of the lanes because it was not usable,” Evans said.

The district sought proposals for a new polyurethane track, and $125,000 was the lowest, he said.

Chaney is the only district school with a paved track.

“All city meets are held at Chaney as well as junior high,” Evans said.

Committee members were supportive of the new track and asked Treasurer William A. Johnson what funds were available to pay for it. Johnson said he would look into it.

Rachel Hanni, committee member, said she was concerned about the $125,000 cost of a red track vs. $118,500 for a black track.

“I’m concerned that we’re wasting $6,000 to make it red,” she said.

The deteriorating track is red.

“This is something we do once every 30 years, so if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it right,” Evans said.

In other business, committee members talked about Johnson’s five-year financial forecast. The report shows the district will be solvent through 2015.

Lock P. Beachum Sr., committee chairman, asked Johnson to make suggestions to continue that solvency beyond five years.

“I’d like to leave the board with some light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

The district has been in state fiscal emergency since November 2006.