by justin strawser
LECK KILL - The Line Mountain School Board voted in favor Monday night of directing their project manager to finish the drawings and specs in preparation for bidding out additions to two district school buildings.
"I'm tired of messing around," President Troy Laudenslager said to the board and public at the Leck Kill Elementary School.
Josh Bower, Line Mountain project manager representing Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates Architects, presented the updated plans to the board, and said if they wanted to have their schools ready by the 2013-14 school year, the project needed to be bid out by July and awarded by August of this year.
The current $5.6 million plan is to build a four-classroom addition to accommodate kindergarten through fourth grade with another two rooms for storage at the Trevorton Elementary School, and to built a fifth- and sixth grade wing to the junior-senior high school in Mandata.
It would also call for the elementary schools in Leck Kill and Dalmatia to be closed, and the students of those areas sent to the Trevorton school. However, before they can close the schools, a public hearing must be held.
Bower suggested earlier in the meeting that it would be logical to move the students during Christmas break in 2013, but Superintendent Dave Campbell quickly shot that idea down.
"There's no way we'll be able to do that in the middle of a school year," Campbell said.
Bower then said the board would have to give him direction that night if they wanted the project finished before the beginning of the 13-14 school year.
"Twelve months of time is plenty of time to complete this type of project," he said.
Directors Lauren Hackenburg and Lamont Masser said the addition to Trevorton was not necessary, and the school could accommodate all students.
However, Director Lawrence Neidig disagreed.
"We can skip and skive and kick the can down the road for the next board, but I'm looking out for the kids at this point," he said.
Before the vote was taken, several residents criticized the board for closing the two schools and making this final decision, but the board said no final decision had been made since no bids had been accepted.
"At this point, we've exhausted all the information. We are open to other options, if there are any," Laudenslager explained.
Directors Neidig and Denise Clouser made and seconded the motion. It passed 6-3 with Hackenburg, Masser and Ron Neidig voted against it.
The board has also decided to move forward with the project without applying for state reimbursement, because they would not be eligible for any further reimbursement for older parts of the building for an additional 20 years following the project completion.