The Pottsville Area School District got a deal on natural gas and Charles R. Wagner, one of the board members, told the school board at its February meeting Wednesday night that it shouldn’t pass it up.
“Too often we miss chances to compliment or congratulate. Mr. Ansbach has done a great job as we all know cutting back overtime over the last year. Last month we talked about the money he saved us with the scoreboards at the school gym,” Wagner said, referring to Kerry Ansbach, the school district’s director of facilities and transportation.
Then Wagner, chairman of the board’s committee on buildings, real estate and transportation, asked the board to accept an agreement with Talen Energy Marketing LLC to provide natural gas to the school district at a fixed price of $3.837 per one million British Thermal Units for a 36-month term that will begin Nov. 1, 2017 and end Oct. 31, 2020.
“This will save us about $70,000 over that term. It’s somewhat hard to estimate. We can always play the waiting game and hope that natural gas goes even lower, but I think we should jump on this while the opportunity is there. It’s a considerable savings over the contract we have, which was also quite good,” Wagner said.
“And I concur with you. Thank you, Kerry,” board President John F. Boran said.
After the meeting, Ansbach said the current natural gas contract is with Direct Energy and the rate is “about $4.50 or $4.60” per one million British Thermal Unit.
The board approved the agreement.
In other matters at its February meeting Wednesday, the school board appointed the following coaches for the 2015-16 school year and gave them the following salaries.
• Baseball: Michael Welsh, head coach, $5,350; Thomas Guzick Jr., varsity head coach, $4,918; Edward Terefenko, assistant, $3,000; and Ben O’Brien Jr., varsity assistant, $2,400.
• Softball: Charles Rinaldo, head coach, $5,050; Thomas Mull, assistant, $3,400; Clarence Herndon, assistant, $3,400; and Bruce Heffner, head junior varsity, $2,400.
• Spring Track: Charles Schuster, boys head coach, $5,523; Barbara McGinley, girls head coach, $5,050; Kelly Lombel, assistant, $3,200; Craig Stevens, assistant, $2,200; Jeff Dunkel, assistant, $2,000; Peter McDonald, assistant, $3,000; William Rhoads, assistant, $3,000; Dee Dunkel, junior high school head coach, $3,200; Cara Holman, co-junior-high assistant, $1,500; Scott Delenick, co-junior-high assistant, $1,500; and Jim Lord Jr., high school assistant coach, $2,800.
• Boys Volleyball: Dan Hedemann, head coach, $3,950; and Doug Bendetti, assistant, $2,000.
• Boys Tennis: Howard Merrick, head coach, $2,600.
The board approved the following spring sports budgets: baseball, $13,959; girls softball, $9,856; boys track, $9,895; girls track, $13,025; boys tennis, $3,170; and boys volleyball, $6,584.
The board also hired a few new employees:
• Shannon Butler, Dorothy Majcher and Connie Stabinsky, part-time cafeteria workers, at $14.20 per hour startingThursday. School board member Scott R. Thomas asked the board to double check the rate of pay. Board Vice President Karen E. Rismiller, who chairs the board’s committee on finance, said it would be discussed at a committee meeting next week.
• Daniel Vidal, full-time custodian at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School, effective Jan. 29.
• Amanda Herbine, part-time bus driver, at an hourly rate of $10.45 retroactive for Feb. 1.
• Clarence Herndon, full-time, 12-month, cafeteria/custodial/receiver employee at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School, effectiveThursdsay, at an annual salary of $18,500.
• Lisa Herndon, part-time paraprofessional, at a annual salary of $18,500, effective Thursday. Rismiller clarified that Lisa Herndon and Clarence Herndon are not related.
The board approved a daily rate increase for substitute teachers from $90 per day to $100 per day, effectiveThursday.
The board also approved an increase of 25 cents per hour for the non-professional, non-union hourly transportation employees, retroactive to Jan. 1.