Jun 21, 2017 By Cara Host 3 min read

A hillside on the Bethel Park High School campus is becoming a pit – a money pit, that is – for the school district.

The hill behind the high school softball field started slipping nearly two years ago. After trying a temporary fix in 2015, the district decided last fall on a permanent and more expensive repair.

The repair is taking longer and is costing more than anticipated. The district spent more than $500,000 on stabilizing the hillside and the project engineer told the board June 20 that he would need more money to continue monitoring the work.

At its regular meeting June 27, the board is expected to consider allocating roughly $30,000 more to Garvin Boward Beitko Engineering of Robinson Township.

Contractors started repairing the hillside in October 2016, but wet weather caused delays and workers were unable to finish before winter. They started again in April, but rain again caused delays and other problems, including washing away the access road to get to the site. The estimated timeline was about two months, but workers have already put in three months of work and another month is needed to reconstruct the hillside.

According to the project engineer, the hill was made up of unsuitable fill, including soft soil, tree stumps and construction debris left over from the construction of Bethel Park High School. School officials said they are considering suing the original contractor responsible for forming that hill.

To repair the slip, workers dug 15 feet deep to install a drainage base with pipes and large stone. To reconstruct the slope, workers will replace the unsuitable fill with more rock and other materials that are more stable. Recent heavy rains have already tested the repair and the engineer said the hill remained stable. In another matter during the June 20 meeting, the board discussed the replacement of the scoreboard at the high school football field. The scoreboard is about 13 years old and it has needed fairly frequent repairs in the past three years.

“It’s been a constant headache,” said William Keith, director of facilities.

Athletic Director Dan Sloan said he would like to order a sign that is quite similar to the existing one from Daktronics of South Dakota for an estimated $87,000. The purchase would be made through the state’s cooperative purchasing program. Daktronics has a dealer that sells its products in Pittsburgh.

Superintendent Joseph Pasquerilla suggested that the district could use part of a $250,000 inheritance that the district received from an alumnus. Bethel Park also used some of that money on the high school entrance sign, which should be in place by the start of the school year.

The board will consider the purchase at the June 27 meeting.

The board hired Jenna Fraser as associate high school principal. She will be paid $92,000 a year.

“It is a true honor and I thank you for this opportunity,” Fraser told the board.

She previously worked as an acting assistant principal and special education teacher for North Allegheny School District.