Jul 22, 2014 By Nick Lewandowski 2 min read

The Mt. Lebanon School Board approved a maintenance agreement with the municipality covering Middle and Wildcat fields. The municipality recently approved a controversial project that will replace the grass on both fields with artificial turf. Throughout the process project supporters stated that the school district would handle routine maintenance.

Superintendent Dr. Timothy Steinhauer said the district already owns the equipment needed to maintain the fields and can do so at no additional cost. Approving the agreement will also give school sports teams free access to the fields.

“We already do maintenance at Middle and Wildcat fields,” Steinhauer explained. “Our maintenance staff spreads infill and lines the field, for example.”

He said the current cost of maintenance on the grass fields is about $5,700 annually, and estimated the cost of the turf maintenance will be closer to $4,300.

The school board also approved approximately $224,00 in change orders for the district’s high school renovation project. About $68,000 of this was related to structural steel changes resulting from unforeseen conditions. Another $34,000 will go toward fire rating the walls and corridors on the third and fourth floors of the B building. Other changes included $34,600 for relocating storm water and sanitary lines, as well as $42,132 for various electrical and lighting modifications.

According to project manager Tom Berkebile, about 85 percent of project contingency funds have been used to date. Contractors have billed just under 78 percent of project costs, and about 73 percent of the project time line has elapsed.

“The contingency is close,” school board president Elaine Cappucci said. “We don’t expect to run out. If that day comes, the board would have a discussion on what would happen at that point. We have not had that discussion yet.”