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Letter to the Editor: Provide more ‘military news’ to keep readers informed of action overseas

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UPS to hire 95,000 seasonal workers for upcoming holidays

PLAINS TWP. &#8212; The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board briefly discussed another costly project at Monday&#8217;s meeting, mulling the idea of spending up to $2 million to prepare the ground for an expansion of Kistler Elementary School. The board also nixed a $17,200 payment to Wilkes-Barre for maintenance of city fields the district uses.Project Manager Gary Salijko of Apollo Group Inc., the firm contracted as district construction manager, told the board what most already knew: A planned expansion of Kistler Elementary to add grades seven and eight from Meyers High School would require specialized ground work.Salijko said there are three options to make the foundation solid in soil known to be less than perfect: H Piles, which would essentially drive H-shaped beams into the soil &#8212; the technique used for the existing structure; mini piles, which would be pipes up to a foot in diameter driven into the ground and filled with grout; or aggregate piles, which would require drilling holes into the ground and filling them with aggregate stone that would be compacted.The third, estimated at about $1 million would be the cheapest, Salijko said, while the other two options could top $2 million. The board made no decision.The vote on an annual payment to the city is for maintenance of city athletic fields used by the district. It was the same amount as last year, but board members balked after hearing concerns regarding the state of the fields, and confusion about the exact responsibilities of the district and the city.Board members Christine Katsock and Denise Thomas also suggested the city should pay the district for use of the Kistler pool. The board voted unanimously &#8212; with John Quinn absent &#8212;against the payment and agreed to set up discussions with the city regarding the fields and pool.In other business, the board:&#8226; Appointed Ryan Popovitch as a social studies teacher and Sandra Atherton as Title I department chair.&#8226; Appointed new business manager Thomas Telesz as board secretary, a position traditionally filled by the district&#8217;s business manager, for $5,578 a year.&#8226; Approved a contract with New Story of Wyoming for special education services at a rate of $230 per day, with the rate going up to $325 &#8220;if students&#8217; behaviors exhibit a high level of acuity&#8221; and with a discount if the district enrolls more students in the program.&#8226; Approved a contract with The Graham Academy of Kingston for services for students with autism spectrum diagnosis at a daily rate of $155 and additional hourly charges for specific services such as a behavior analyst.&#8226; Approved a contract with Wilkes-Barre Behavioral Hospital Company LLC for partial hospitalization services for special needs students at a daily rate of $110.&#8226; Approved a contract with Conrad Siegel Actuaries of Harrisburg to ensure the district complies with reporting mandates of the Affordable Care Act, at a cost of $8,600 for 2016<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mark Guydishmguydish@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</shirttailMeta></div>

Foundation work at Kistler Elementary could hit $2 million, Wilkes-Barre Area board learns