DUBOIS – The DuBois Area School District Board of Directors approved the low bid for renovations to athletic fields at the DuBois Area High School. There is one roadblock before that project can begin, however.
According to Jerry Bankovich of KTH Architects the only permit needed before the project can begin in May is one from the Department of Environmental Protection. That permit is for the movement of a wetland area. According to Bankovich, the paperwork is filed with DEP, they just have to act on it.
The project includes a couple of fields at the high school, including grass and synthetic turf, an eight-lane track and new tennis courts with the removal of the old courts and additional parking.
Board member Dennis Raybuck added that he was not in favor of voting for the project until the permit from DEP came in. Board member Darrell Clark voiced similar concerns about awarding the bids and not having the permit.
“I have a problem not having DEP’s permission,” said Clark.
Other board members expressed similar concerns as well. One question that came up in one form or another was, if the permit was not granted, would the contractor would only do half of the job?
Bankovich added that there is an outside chance that DEP might not grant the permit. He said that if the bid was approved, they would deal with issue when it came up.
In the end, the board approved the low bid for general contracting from HRI Inc. and Bronder Technical for the electrical contract for a cost of $6.168 million, contingent upon the DEP permit being granted, their solicitor’s approval, and limited costs to be approved by the board before the start of the project.
Board members E. Lloyd McCreight and Kenneth J. Mitchell, president and vice-president of the board, respectively, voted no. McCreight said he had too many questions yet. Clark abstained.
