MAHANOY CITY - When school shuts down for the summer, the renovations and upgrades of the Mahanoy Area auditorium for the stage and lighting will begin.
The Mahanoy Area school board accepted low bids on the project during its Feb. 27 meeting. Last July, the board approved seeking bids for the project.
The board approved a contract with M. Cramer & Associates, Philadelphia, as general contractor for stage rigging, curtain and light replacement at a cost of $312,599, which will be paid from the capital reserve fund.
The board also accepted a contract with Albarell Electric Inc., Pottsville, as the electrical contractor for the auditorium project at a cost of $26,400. The work will also be paid through the capital reserve fund.
In a related matter, the board authorized advertising for asbestos removal bids involving the project, and approved a proposal by JMSI Environmental Corp., Swoyersville, for services related to the asbestos removal project for $6,500.
The project will include replacing the stage's manual counterweight rigging system, which has been removed because of its age and was unsafe to use. The auditorium lighting system will also be replaced and updated to bring it up to current codes and standards.
Business Administrator John J. Hurst said after the July 25 meeting last year that the auditorium stage is used by more than 300 students and has had no upgrades in the 35 years it has existed. The funds budgeted for the project from the reserve fund were $530,000. Hurst said that the project is considered a one-time investment that will provide a modern stage to last another 30 years.
In 2001-02, the major building renovation project did not include the auditorium. In 2002, the district spent $2.2 million for improvements at the district's athletic fields, along with new bleachers inside the school. Hurst said that it was time to address the auditorium's need for an upgrade.
At the July 25 meeting, the board approved a contract with EI Associates, Harrisburg, to provide architectural services for $26,000. That cost also comes out of the reserve fund.
After the Feb. 27 meeting, district Superintendent Joie L. Green explained the timeline.
"It going to start right after school's over in June," Green said. "Right after the kids get out, it will begin. We've been told (by the contractor) that it will be done before school starts. The complete stage will be upgraded. There will be LED lights and new stage rigging, which is not going to be manual anymore. The stage has never been touched since it's been here. The only thing that has been improved was a lighting system and a speaker system that was paid through a grant of around $20,000."