Repair of Bethel Park High School hillside proves pricey
Repairing a hillside slip at the Bethel Park High School campus will cost a bit more than expected.
The hillside behind the softball field started slipping last fall. The district made a temporary repair to get through the winter, with the intention to find a permanent solution this summer.
School officials thought the slope could be repaired for about $250,000, but bids on the project were much higher. The low bid was $464,000, with an option to make proactive changes to an adjacent hillside, which hasn’t slipped yet, for $291,000.
“These bids are much higher than we anticipated,” Matt Howard, assistant to the superintendent, said at the school board committee meeting Aug. 2. Howard said district officials would consult with the board solicitor to determine how to proceed. The repair work will take about two months.
The district already spent about $26,000 on test borings and to install drainage for a temporary fix. The hillside slipped a bit more after recent heavy rains, but Howard said the temporary repair prevented the problem from getting worse.
Board member Ron Werkmeister asked whether there would be any guarantee that the permanent repair will be truly permanent. “Or is this something we’re going to have to deal with again in a few years?” he inquired.
Howard said repair work such as this typically has a one-year warranty, but if the hill slips again after that period, the district would have to prove faulty design or construction was to blame.
In another matter, the school board voted 8-0 to change its solicitor. Board member Connie Ruhl was absent.
The board replaced longtime solicitor Maiello, Brungo and Maiello with Andrews and Price. Both law firms are based in Pittsburgh. Andrews and Price will be paid a retainer of $800 a month and $120 an hour.
The board also:
• Accepted resignations from Amy Scheuneman, the district’s athletic director since 2006, who is taking a similar position with North Hills School District; Jessica Rovesti, elementary nurse; James O’Neal, high school math teacher; and Margaret Rizzo, special education paraprofessional at Neil Armstrong Middle School.
• Eliminated three positions that were vacant because of retirements or resignations. The closed positions are a full-time high school mathematics teacher, elementary nurse and special education paraprofessional at William Penn Elementary School.
• Approved the first reading of a policy concerning relationship boundaries between staff members and students. The policy specifically addresses text messaging and contact on social media.