MCA to borrow money for athletic projects, stadium and fieldhouse renovation expected to be on list

MOUNT CARMEL - After spending money on other buildings and educational aspects of the district, several Mount Carmel Area School Board members think it is time to update its athletic holdings as well.

At its monthly board meeting Thursday night, the board voted 6-2 to name RBC Capital Markets as the underwriter to proceed with a general obligation bond in the amount of $2.75 million for its "athletic project." Board members Michael Rovito, Donna James. Dennis Hepler, Rose Marquardt, Eric Belfanti and Judy McCollum voted for the motion, while Dr. Raymond Kraynak and Charles Mannello voted against the appointment.

Kraynak was the most vocal against the plan.

"To borrow $3 million in this economy is not good business," Kraynak said. "We are trying to be fiscally responsible and borrowing this amount when we don't even have an estimate on what it's going to cost is crazy."

Dennis Hepler took up the argument for those for the renovations.

"There are times when you have to be aggressive to be progressive," Hepler said. "In the time I've been on the board, we've built the elementary school and renovated the high school. One of the first things that we ask applicants is how our facilities compare to others that they have substituted or student taught at, and we haven't heard one negative complaint yet," Hepler said. "We've done that with the lowest tax base. We've worked in the right direction, and our athletic areas have been put on the back burner and neglected. That stadium is the pride of the community, and it's time to take care of it."

Eric Belfanti echoed the sentiment and added interest rates are currently at World War II levels, stating it is the best time to borrow money.

While the scope of the project was not discussed, renovations are expected to include the Silver Bowl stadium and a nearby fieldhouse, as well as the basketball and tennis courts in front of the high school.

The board will get a better idea of the project's cost after a $15,000 feasibility study is conducted by Kimball Architecture. Eckert, Seamans, Cherin and Mellott, LLC was named bond counsel and U.S. Bank was approved as the paying agent. All of those motions were approved by a 6-2 vote with the members voting the same way they did for the bond issue.

A referendum on November's ballot was also considered at Thursday's meeting. The referendum would eliminate the Occupational Assessment Tax in favor of raising the Earned Income and Net Profits tax from 1 to 1.4 percent with .9 percent going to the school district. When the item was brought up by board president Marquardt, no action was taken, and the item failed.

In personnel matters, Jake Wojcik was hired as varsity girls softball coach at a salary of $2,400 by a 7-1 vote with Judy McCollum casting the lone dissenting vote. The board also approved the resignations of Ana Ditchey, as assistant girls basketball coach, Lindsey Lapotsky and English teacher Lauren Rosato.

Those hired at the meeting were Dr. Jeff Greco as team physican at a salary of $2,000 and for sports physicals at a cost of $1,500 for the 2009-2010 school year, Jessica Nahodil as an alternative education teacher, Erica Sechler as an assistant band director and Nicole Bui and Deb Parkansky as personal care aides in the special education department.

The board unanimously approved a five-year contract extension for superintendent Cheryl Latorre, extending from Aug. 31, 2010 to June 30, 2015 with no increase in salary.

In other business, a memorandum of understanding between the Mount Carmel Township Police Department and the Mount Carmel Area School District was approved by a unanimous vote.

A motion was defeated for the board members to attend the National School Board Association's conference in Chicago, Ill.