More improvements are coming to Edison High School as school board members addressed a number of projects on Thursday.
The board approved Wheeling-based Peddicord and Son’s bid for $123,600 to paint the high school, which will freshen up 55,000 square feet on the exterior of the building plus the annex. Superintendent Bill Beattie said the contractor is looking to have the work done by the start of the next school term.
“They hope to start the prep work in the spring and paint over the summer,” said Superintendent Bill Beattie. “It should be ready by the beginning of August.”
Leaders also approved a $25,000 bid from Buckeye Mechanical Contracting of East Liverpool to complete brickwork on the agriculture building, and hopes are to have it ready soon.
“The Ag building is part of the greenhouse project and we’re doing some façade updates on the remainder of one side to match the brick and aluminum on the fieldhouse,” Beattie explained. “We hope to have it done by the end of the year but still need to add the greenhouse.”
Beattie also announced the outdoor trail on the campus has also been finished; however, it won’t be open to the public until spring. Fairfield Landscape of Canonsburg, Pa., completed the $532,000 project with Burgettstown, Pa.-based JTSA Sports conducting architectural and engineering services. The 1.5-mile woodland trail, which spans eight feet wide, winds from campus into the nearby woods but also reverses and treks could span a total of 3.1 miles. Beattie noted that the trail could be used for more than health purposes; other ideas are to utilize the area for science classes and other forms of outdoor education. Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were used to cover the cost.
“We’re waiting for benches and fit trail stations to be installed,” Beattie added.
On a similar note, the board approved Carrie Rudy and Sarah Koehnlein as part-time supervisors of the new fitness center. The site, which is located on the second floor of the new fieldhouse, is open to the public on weekdays from 6-8:30 a.m. when school is in session but remains closed when the district has two-hour delays and cancelations. Beattie said the center has been seeing some use since opening its doors with an average of five to seven patrons per day.
In other action, the board:
–Spotlighted district educators Miguel Brun, Kathy Ramsey and Jordan Tice, who each received $660 Best Practice Grants from the Jefferson County Educational Service Center for their projects. JCESC Intervention Specialist Patty Ferrell made the presentation and said the trio submitted innovative ideas for student learning;
–Heard a presentation from Mike Paris, a representative of Coral Reef Partners of Pennsylvania, who provided an overview of the solar energy company and benefits of solar panels on costs and energy usage. No action was taken at the conclusion.
–Approved a $5,000 grant from the Tulsa Community Foundation to upgrade the district’s entire fleet of approximately 20 buses. Assistant Superintendent Julie Kireta submitted the grant and officials said it would improve coverage for communication.