Bethel Park OKs next phase of renovations at Ben Franklin Elementary
Bethel Park School Board voted to proceed with the second phase of renovations at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School at its Dec. 6 meeting.
School officials started planning an upgrade to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system over a year ago, but a more pressing problem with the building’s subfloor put the HVAC updates on hold.
During a routine inspection, the district’s architect found the concrete subfloor was deteriorating due to water that had been seeping under the building for years. Repairs were necessary to keep the building safe, so the district spent over $800,000 to fix it last summer.
With that work completed, the district will work on upgrading the chiller, boiler and lighting system. That work is expected to cost up to $300,000 and will be completed this summer.
The board voted to solicit bids for the equipment.
In another matter, the board re-appointed Donna Cook as board president and Russ Spicuza as board vice president during the reorganization meeting.
The board also closed the full-time health services aide position at Neil Armstrong Middle School and moved the person holding that position, Kathy Bower, to a full-time special education paraprofessional at the high school. The health services aide typically acted as an assistant in the school’s nurse’s office.