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WRIGHT TWP. — Following a vote on Thursday night to retain Quad 3 Engineers of Wilkes-Barre as the architect, the Crestwood School Board is poised to move ahead with a project to renovate the high school auditorium and construct an event center/fieldhouse adjacent to the athletic field off Old Main Road.

William Jones, board chairman, said the projects are only at the planning stage, but the school board also voted unanimously to enter into a contract with Quad 3 for the design of these projects at what Jones described as a $25,000 retainer fee.

Jones and director Albert Miller, chairman of the co-curricular committee, said the state of auditorium hasn’t essentially changed since the high school was constructed in the 1970s. They said proposed renovations will include asbestos abatement, new flooring and carpeting, upgraded seating, wall tiles and a modern sound system.

Jones said the intent is, at the close of the 2016-17 term, to execute the project in stages at a cost that has been preliminarily estimated at $400,000 to $500,000. He added financing would be through the district’s capital bond account.

Quad 3 has also submitted a proposed design for the event center, a two-story structure of over 12,000 square feet. The plan, however, doesn’t just encompass a new building, but also, Jones said, expanding the running track, relocating a road into the stadium site and developing another parking lot. Engineers estimated costs at $4.8 million.

The first floor of the building will provide public restroom facilities, locker rooms for home and visiting teams, showers, storage rooms, coaches offices and an area for concession sales. The second floor, according to the engineers’design, will contain a multi-propose room, which Jones and Miller said can be utilized for community activities.

The board also approved a payment of $23,395 to Hunt Engineers of Towanda for a structural survey of the district’s school buildings. Jones said that because many of the buildings are old, “We need to determine, down the road, if we should continue to spend on improvements or consider new construction.”

Hunt’s study, which was authorized at the December meeting, is intended to encompass an inspection of the exterior walls, foundation, state of the roofs, the heating plants, electrical integrity and the real estate environment around the buildings.

In addition:

• The board heard a report from Superintendent Joseph Gorham that a recent “drug drill” found no paraphernalia on school property. “We have a safe and productive environment,” Gorham said.

• Four high school students, following a recent tour, offered a positive report on Hazleton’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math school. These students also stated they are engaged in a school project to develop a turbo engine and install it in an existing car.

• The board, on a split vote, approved Adrian Bannon as girls’ softball coach at a salary of $4,880.

• The board also declined, 8-0, a proposal to offset the cost of travel expenses of $2,570 for the cheerleading team to travel to and from the Philadelphia airport. The cheerleaders are scheduled to compete in Florida in February.

•The board accepted the resignation of Matt Sandroski as boys’ track and field coach.

• The board retained Ashley Swerdon as special education teacher at a salary of $49,687.

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By Tom Huntington

Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLNews.