Board still uncertain about Mary A. building

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Written by Larry McGuire

Saturday, 31 July 2010

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The Punxsutawney Area School Board is still uncertain as to what the best way to dispose of the former Mary A. Wilson Elementary School building on East Mahoning Street exactly is. Gary Conrad, board president, said following Wednesday’s board meeting that the district would like to dispose of the building as quickly as possible before winter. “It’s time to dispose of the property, with what I believe to be the quickest and easiest way through sealed bids,” Conrad said. “In a live auction, other bidders are standing next to you, and they are aware of the amounts being bid. In the sealed bid, you have to decide if you want to bid an extra $100, $1,000 or $10,000, and you have to bid higher because somebody could outbid you by a little bit. Because of the uncertainty of the sealed bids, I feel that is the best way to go if it was my choice.” The district has already received an inquiry from a group that is interested in purchasing the vacant building. In other business: • The board discussed when the bids will be opened for sealing and line painting of campus parking lots at the high school. Phil Heitzenrater, district maintenance supervisor, reported that the parking area at Jenks Hill Elementary School can no longer be sealed because the surface has too many cracks in it. “You could get by for a couple of more years by tar and chipping it,” Heitzenrater explained to the board. • Jack White, chair of the buildings and grounds committee, asked Heitzenrater why the proposed contract with Accu-Temp Inc. to service all of the boilers at the district’s buildings was so high. Heitzenrater pointed out that the company had to go to each building, clean the burner, adjust the air and measure the static breaker. White questioned the cost of $1,700 per day for each building. Heitzenrater explained that the cost is locked in despite any possible increase. “Any time Accu-Temp is not satisfied, or the board isn’t satisfied, either party can opt out of the contract,” Heitzenrater pointed out, adding that the district saves a lot of money because that price is unable to fluctuate. Conrad asked if anyone local could do this work for the district. Heitzenrater responded by saying that he can call Accu-Temp at any time if there’s any problem, and that the company can talk him through any possible problem on the phone. “It’s guaranteed that if it can’t be fixed over the phone, they’ll jump in a vehicle and come up here to fix the problem immediately,” Heitzenrater said. • Heitzenrater explained the problem the district has had with the dust collector in the wood shop at the high school since the building was renovated. “It was more for a metal shop, and they recommend replacing the filters every year at a cost of $5,000,” he said. “Since the company that made the dust collector sold out to a new owner, the cost for a new filter is still $5,000 every year. “When the high school went through renovation, that was not the dust collector that should have been put in there,” Heitzenrater said, adding that the board is now advertising bids to purchase a new collector. “The cost of a replacement filter each year will be only $500,” Heitzenrater said. “We’re going to bid a brand new collection system. The current system collects a lot of moisture and has caused the bags to blow apart and set off the fire alarm on numerous occasions.”

Last Updated ( Monday, 02 August 2010 )