New scoreboard going up in Bethel Park
A new scoreboard at Bethel Park High School Stadium should be ready for the start of football season in September.
The Bethel Park School Board approved the purchase of the $99,000 scoreboard at the regular meeting June 27.
The district will use part of a $250,000 inheritance to cover the costs. The district also used the inheritance to install a new high school entrance sign, which should also be ready in the fall.
The district’s athletic director asked for a new scoreboard because the previous one was 13 years old and has needed frequent repairs. The new scoreboard will be fairly similar to the old one.
The district will buy the Daktronics brand scoreboard through Institutional Specialties of Etna. It will take up to 10 weeks for the scoreboard to be customized at Daktronics’ factory in South Dakota and be shipped to Bethel Park, but it should be ready for the first home football game Sept. 1.
The board also agreed to purchase a high school entrance sign from Carik Signs of Brentwood for $66,803.
Other summertime improvements to school properties include the Ben Franklin Elementary School renovation. The project to replace the heating, air conditioning and ventilation system is coming in under its $300,000 budget, so the board agreed to use the leftover funds to install new flooring.
Workers continue to reconstruct an unstable hillside at the high school. The board agreed to pay Garvin Board Beitko Engineering an additional $30,420 to supervise and manage the work.
The board also made numerous personnel changes in preparation for the new school year.
The board hired Alyssa Dunn as school police officer at $42,000 a year. Two board members abstained from the vote, Pam Dobos and Connie Ruhl; and two others voted against it, Barry Christenson and Jim Means. However, the measure passed 5-2.
The board hired Sharon Kopy, assistant director of finance at $45,000 a year and four long-term substitute teachers: Reita Kline, special education at Neil Armstrong Middle School; Allison Shreve, special education at Washington Elementary; Sarah Lutz, fourth grade at Washington Elementary and Julie Herring, reading specialist at Independence Middle School.
The board approved numerous coaches, proctors, club sponsors and other teachers who help with the extra duty program.
The board closed the position of accounting specialist and opened the positions of assistant director of finance and technician with the information technology department.