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Canfield to begin new PA system in high school project as soon as Monday
By ROBERT CONNELLY
CANFIELD
The Canfield Board of Education unanimously approved awarding the contract for a new high-school public address system to SoundCom Systems of Berea for $38,726.
The plan is to have the new system in the high school when students come back from winter break.
A special meeting took place this week to award the contract so work could begin as soon as Monday and finish by the time students come back Jan. 5, explained Alex Geordan, schools superintendent.
There had been two bids on the project. The other bidder was Tri-Area Electric, of Youngstown at $55,957.
The work will take place in the afternoon and weekends until school goes on break so as not to interfere with classes, Geordan said.
Board member Phil Bova called it a “great safety improvement.” Geordan said the upgrade has been talked about at least three to four years and has said “we have been in need of that PA system for a long time.”
The new system will be paid for with capital-improvement money and will feature outdoor speakers at the corners of the buildings to reach outdoor gym classes and feature a light for loud areas, such as the gym and band room, to alert students and faculty in the room that an announcement is coming.
Geordan received approval for the project to go out to bid at the Oct. 15 board of education meeting. At that time, an architect had told Geordan it could cost between $80,000 and $100,000.
“We had anticipated the bid to be a bit larger than this,” Geordan noted. School officials were pleased with the price.
Geordan said now they will begin to look at how to address the PA systems at the two elementary schools, C.H. Campbell Elementary and Hilltop Elementary.
The board also unanimously approved Nick Colapietro to plow snow at a rate of $10 per hour, as needed. “We just need a little bit of help, just as needed. If we get a large dumping of snow at one time, we’re going to need to call the third person out,” Geordan said.