The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

February 4, 2010

UPDATE: Work proceeds on Brookfield's new school

By Patrick Cooley

BROOKFIELD — Anyone who drives by the site of the future Brookfield K-12 school building on Bedford Road will notice that it’s starting to look more and more like a school. Concrete walls are going up, and the skeletal beginnings of the roof are visible from the road.

That is a stark contrast from this summer, when passers-by could only see construction equipment and a few crews pouring concrete for the building's foundation.

Construction Manager Dan Doyle said over the summer they mostly did groundwork, moving dirt to make way for the foundation, but now the building it self is being erected.

“We’re roughly halfway through the masonry,” he said. “We’re a little behind, but not too much. We have plenty of time in this project.”

Barring some kind of disaster, Doyle said, the school should be finished on schedule by March 2011.

The building will have three long sections — one each for high school, middle school and elementary students —running north and south, which are starting to take shape.

Brookfield Superintendent Tim Saxton said the crews responsible for putting in the plumbing and electrical wiring have been following the masons around the construction site and installing the wires and pipes where they can.

The project started in late June, and when all is said and done it is expected to cost around $35 million. A portion of the cost will be paid by the state of Ohio, and the rest will be paid for by a 7.4 mill, 28-year levy passed by Brookfield township voters.

Saxton said the district is planning to have the building open for the 2011-2012 school year provided construction is finished by then.

“We put the window between March and June,” Saxton said.

The district will have roughly $1.5 million left from its local share after the construction is paid for, he said, and right now the school board is looking at ways they can spend that money. Several ideas were bandied about at a recent school board meeting, including an eight lane, all-weather track, a weight room and wrestling room and an area to house the administrative offices.

“This first is additional parking,” Saxton said.

Geothermal pipes have been installed with the intent of saving the school district money on heating and cooling costs.

The school board and the administration have put together an advisory committee to recommend what the colors of the new building should be. The committee, Saxton said, would be made up of staff from the school representatives from the parents association and a representative from the school board.

School board members said they old buildings will be demolished, except for the elementary school, which is located on the West Hill in Sharon, and is therefore ineligible to be part of an Ohio project. That building will be sold, board members said.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012