Work resumes on school renovations

Staff report

VIENNA

Work has resumed on bathroom renovations at Mathews High School, which were halted in March after a plumbing permit was denied.

The district needs the renovations to accommodate seventh- and eighth- graders who will transfer to the high school when Neal Middle School closes at the end of the current school year.

Robert O’Connell, Trumbull County plumbing inspector, had rejected the permit request because of ongoing Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issues with effluent from the district’s septic tank, shutting down the project. O’Connell said, however, he has approved the permit after discussions with an OEPA representative.

The OEPA has demanded the system be replaced, but the agency has indicated it may be interested in an alternate proposal pending completion of a sewer project. “We are still in negotiations with the school district and hope to find a short-term, affordable fix until sewer lines can be extended to the high school,” said Erin Strouse, an OEPA spokeswoman.

Mathews Superintendent Lee Seiple could not be reached to comment.