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PLAINS TWP. — Add another $657,000 to repair costs on Wilkes-Barre Area’s aging schools — money that doesn’t go toward the planned consolidation of Meyers and Coughlin high schools, or toward expansion of Kistler Elementary.

After months of debate regarding roof problems at GAR Memorial —problems exacerbated by issues with the wall holding up part of the roof — the School Board voted Monday to award a contract to Dunmore Roofing for a total of $633,500 base bid. The work would replace all parts of the roof that contain a material once thought to be top of the line, but that becomes brittle in cold climates over decades, making it shatter under the right conditions.

The board also awarded a contract to Callaghan Construction LLC, of Hunlock Creek, for work to restore vehicle access to the field at Memorial Stadium. The field sits well below street level, and for years the only vehicle access was via a tunnel under a walkway that serves as an emergency exit for students at adjacent Meyers High School. That tunnel was declared unsafe by Wilkes-Barre City officials after inspectors saw crumbling concrete in the walkway and rusting metal beams beneath.

Plans call for installing a stairway down from a part of the walkway that’s still usable, allowing students to exit to the stadium field in an emergency, then removing the hazardous part of the tunnel, restoring vehicle access. The Callaghan contract totals $23,800.

Project Manager Gary Salijko of Apollo Group Inc., the firm retained as district project manager, said the cost may go down if some of the steel supports can be salvaged, reducing demolition cost.

The board also unanimously approved a motion by Board President Joe Caffrey to form a “transition committee” to explore the steps needed — and possible savings from — consolidating extracurricular and athletic activities in the high schools, a move that will be necessary for Coughlin and Meyers if consolidation proceeds.

Board Member Ned Evans said he did some early research and believes consolidating activities of those two schools could save up to $1.4 million.

The transition committee will have only one board member. Caffrey said he wants it to be made up mostly of Superintendent Brian Costello and staff involved in the issue, including building administrators and athletic directors.

And the board approved a contract with Business manager Thomas Telesz, who was appointed to the post after Leonard Pryzwara retired at the end of August.

The contract runs to June 30, 2021, with an annual starting salary of $100,000. It is tied to the superintendent’s salary, and set at 68 percent of that salary the first year, with 4 percent increases per year until it hits 84 percent the last year.

There are also “incentive payments” for ratings received after annual performance evaluations. An excellent rating nets a $5,000 payment, a satisfactory rating gets $3,000, and an unsatisfactory rating gets no incentive payment.

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By Mark Guydish

[email protected]

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish.