Nov 20, 2014 3 min read

CARMICHAELS – Carmichaels Area School Board gave its approval Thursday for district administration to investigate through the Department of Education the possibility of adding a middle school designation for the 2015-16 school year.

According to district Superintendent John Menhart, when the renovation project is completed, it will open up the space to move the sixth grade classes from the elementary center to the high school.

“That would make room for us to have a preschool program in the elementary,” Menhart said.

High school principal Lisa Zdravecky told the board the new cafeteria, which opened Nov. 3, was well-received and is operating smoothly.

As work continues on the renovation project in the district, Menhart expressed concern about the completion date for the work being done to the auditorium.

Improvements to the auditorium, estimated at $230,000, were originally not included in contracts the board awarded in March, but were added after the overall bids for the renovation project came in at about $1.5 million under budget.

New seats for the first floor of the auditorium were selected. Existing first-floor seats still in good condition will be used for replacement of seats in disrepair in the balcony.

Change orders totalling $71,603.31 were approved by the board with board member Ed McIntire dissenting. Five of the change orders, accounting for $21,100 of the total, were for unforeseen conditions Hayes Design Group encountered thus far, including deteriorated wall bracing in the senior high, a necessary floor replacement in the junior high science room, junior high window and lintel repair, additional foundation waterproofing and junior high floor deck repairs.

District maintenance supervisor Dave Franks told the board his team worked on winter readiness as inclement weather approaches, including weatherization of buildings, preparing plow blades and distributing a calcium mix for snow and ice to points of use in the various buildings.

When asked about snow removal, Franks said the construction company expressed a willingness to allow the usage of front loaders currently on-site. Franks said the campus cannot afford to lose parking spaces to piles of plowed snow as it had in the past Instead, Franks said the snow will be moved with the front loaders over the hill at the edge of the property.

In other matters, the board approved the appointment of Joanna Walker as the drama coach.

It accepted the resignation of Ashley Shoemaker, middle school volleyball coach.

Peter Shlosky was hired to fill a custodial maintenance position rendered vacant by the retirement of Howard Watters, elementary custodian.

The annual reorganization meeting of the board will be held Dec. 2