Franklin Regional school board won't delay construction on Sloan intermediate building

Construction of the new Sloan intermediate school in the Franklin Regional School District will continue after three of the four new school board members were unable to muster enough support to suspend work for a month.

“Many of us ran for this position because people in the community were questioning the need for a new intermediate school,” said new board member Ed Mittereder after being sworn in last week. “We need to pause work on the construction of the intermediate school so we can understand this complex issue in greater detail.”

Fellow newcomer Gary English agreed.

“I think it’s prudent for this board to step back and suspend, for a period of time, until the new members are up to speed and maybe, if it’s possible, to redirect some of the monies on the intermediate school to take care of issues at the middle and high school that are in dire need of repair,” he said.

English was critical of the previous board’s decision to authorize overtime pay for contractors in the fall, saying the board chose to “forge ahead” with construction.

“It wasn’t just to ‘forge ahead,’ it was to prevent delayed damages that would occur if we didn’t meet the established timelines,” Superintendent Gennaro Piraino said. “The cost of the overtime was far less than that of the potential delay damages, given the contract.”

Both Mittereder and English felt newly-sworn board members need time to get caught up.

“We’re going into this and being asked to approve bills and a lot of money, blindly,” Mittereder said. “Saying yes without knowing what you’re agreeing to is not something a responsible person would do.”

Mittereder, English and fellow newcomer Bill Yant voted to suspend construction for 30 days. The rest of the board, including new member and newly-appointed board treasurer Scott Weinman, voted no. The motion was defeated by a 6-3 vote.

English said board members have a duty not just to students but also to taxpayers.

“We have to provide a quality education and make sure the schools are safe,” English said. “But the other side of the equation is: what can the taxpayers and the district afford?”

The board’s next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 6 at the Murrysville municipal building at 4100 Sardis Road.

Meetings are also broadcast live on Comcast local access Channel 19 and streamed at Murrysville.com.