MCA buys Pepsi plant

MOUNT CARMEL - The former Pepsi plant at 227 S. Willow St. will be converted into a multi-purpose facility by Mount Carmel Area School District, which agreed to purchase the huge building Thursday night.

Directors unanimously passed a motion to purchase the property for $150,000 from former school board member Joseph Gushen and utilize it for various purposes, including as a storage facility for school buses and other vehicles and as a records office.

The building is located approximately half a block from the high school campus.

Voting to approve the purchase and related closing costs were Directors Donna James, Dr. Ray Kraynak, Charles Mannello, Michael Rovito, Judy McCollum, Rose Marquardt, Robert Muldowney, Nicholas Goretski and Eric Belfanti.

On an 8-1 vote with Mannello dissenting, the board approved payment of the district's assessment to the Northumberland County Tax Collection Committee in the amount of $1,126.48.

Superintendent Cheryl Latorre said the district is mandated by the state to make the payment to the committee, but Mannello still objected. ""All they are doing is creating another bureaucracy to tax people," he said.

"This means taxpayers are paying more taxes and it's about time people rebel and say they aren't doing this."

In other business

The board hired Jena Oley as a special education teacher at a salary of $29,156 with benefits.

Directors agreed to pay the flight expenses for four high school students and the flight and hotel expenses for social studies teacher and adviser Sue Nestico for their weeklong trip to Mumbai, India, in February. The students were selected by Microsoft Corporation to participate in an international flat-classroom project workshop dealing with the study of different cultures. Latorre said Microsoft awarded scholarships to the students to attend the workshop. She said only one other school in Pennsylvania is participating in the workshop in India.

The board accepted the resignation of boys' junior high basketball coach Frank Niglio and then hired Jake Scicchitano as interim junior high coach at a salary of $1,100, pending appropriate clearances.

Directors agreed to have McClure Mechanical Services replace a circulating pump in the high school pool at a cost of $4,190.

A motion was approved to purchase two snow/leaf removal backpacks at an approximate cost of $550 each from Watkin's Lawn and Garden.

The board also agreed to purchase a forklift from Gene Llyenellen for $2,000.

At the end of the meeting, the board granted its support to the Race to the Top initiative, which is a competitive grant opportunity for states and represents the largest discretionary funding for education reform ever made available by the federal government. The total amount available nationally is $4.3 billion, with Pennsylvania eligible for up to $400 million.

According to a letter received by the district from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Race to the Top awards are not formula-based grants given out to every state. Instead, President Barack O'bama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have called for awards to be given to states demonstrating a "coordinated and deep-seated commitment to reform." Competition for the grants will be fierce, with only 10 to 12 grants expected in the first round.

Mount Carmel Area School District voiced its support of the initiative to meet today's deadline for the submission of a preliminary letter of intent. The application deadline is Jan. 19.

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