Sep 27, 2013 3 min read

NEW FREEPORT -Renovations to the West Greene Middle-Senior High School, which were scheduled to be completed before the start of the school year, are now expected to wrap up sometime in October.

Contractors still have some work to complete, Superintendent Thelma Szarell said following Thursday’s board meeting. The building, however, was inspected and is safe and approved for occupancy, she said.

The project continued longer than the board expected. At Thursday’s meeting, when James Elsenheimer, director of food service, reported the kitchen is now operational, board members applauded.

Although there were no major problems, Szarell said, the district was restricted from using part of the kitchen and the sixth-grade classrooms since the start of school. Food was prepared on site but the serving area could not be used until recently, she said. Sixth-grade students were only able to begin using their permanent classrooms Monday.

Students and staff have done a good job of adjusting to the situation, Szarell said. There has been “no down time” in instruction, she added.

Renovations to the school began last summer and continued this summer with the installation of a new heating and air conditioning system, electrical work and renovations to the kitchen, office of student services and the second floor of the south wing.

Elsenheimer also reported the cafeteria’s online payment system, which allows parents to make payment and access their child’s accounts online, was tested this week and should be back in operation soon.

The board approved several change orders related to the renovation project.

They included two change orders for work on the heating and air conditioning system. One was to replace pneumatic valves with electronic digital valves at a cost not to exceed $23,245 and the other was to install new “valve packs” on existing equipment at a cost of $11,055.

The board also approved a $5,273 change order for tile and mastic abatement.

The board failed to act on a motion listed on the agenda to approve an “action plan” to resolve a dispute it has had regarding work completed in the middle-senior high auditorium.

In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Paul Kreuzer as head coach of the seventh-and-eighth-grade basketball team, and voted to post and advertise the position. It also agreed to appoint Kreuzer as an unpaid head coach of the team until a replacement is found.

Melissa Gaso was approved as an unpaid volunteer cross country assistant coach, pending her receipt of clearances.

The board also hired Beth Bristor as an instructional aide at Springhill-Freeport Elementary School.