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Hempfield Area School Board on Monday awarded $10.3 million in contracts for construction of a field house, press box, concession stands and restrooms on the high school grounds.

Work on the projects is expected to begin within four weeks, Superintendent Dr. Wayne Doyle said. Construction is anticipated to take at least one year.

The three-story field house, which is alternately referred to as a second gym, is needed to accommodate the school's 24 athletic programs. When the high school was built 50 years ago, Doyle said, it was designed for only five athletic programs.

The athletic facility will be built next to Spartan Stadium. The first two floors will include a gym, locker rooms, weight and wrestling rooms. The third floor will house three science rooms.

Gurtner Construction, with a low bid of $5.3 million, will be general contractor on the project. Four other companies were awarded a total of $2.6 million to perform heating, plumbing and electrical work and to install the locker room and science facilities.

Gurtner also was the low bidder on various alternate bids that included gym scoreboards, dugouts, roofing and portable basketball backstops. The most costly add-on was for the combination press box and concession stand at $1.4 million.

Directors voted unanimously to approve all of the contracts except for two of the alternates.

On one, they voted 5-4 in favor of a $341,330 concession stand and restroom facility to be built near the school's baseball and softball fields. On the other, they voted 7-2 in favor of spending $273,050 on construction of two storage buildings.

Directors said they thought $341,330 was too high for the restrooms, but they were told by their architect that the cost is determined by the number of bleacher seats -- 800 -- that have been proposed to be placed by the fields.

In regard to the storage buildings, directors said they want to explore the option of using less costly construction materials on at least one of the structures.

The two contracts were awarded only after Richard Jaynes, of the Pittsburgh architectural firm N. John Cunzolo Associates Inc., assured directors they have up to 60 days to issue change orders calling for less costly options.

In an unrelated matter, directors approved a request from athletic director Jason Ross to be reassigned as an English teacher.

According to Betty Valerio, board president, Ross requested the reassignment so he can spend more time with his family.

The board last night did not authorize advertising for a new athletic director, but Doyle said the position eventually will be filled.

In another personnel matter, directors Anthony Bompiani, Tim Miller and Ralph Conde said published reports indicating the district had planned to spend $100,000 to hire a new football coach were erroneous.

Miller said the figure "wasn't even close," but he declined to reveal details of the failed offer to Bob Palko, head football coach at West Allegheny High School.

Hempfield is in the process of hiring a new head football coach after firing the former coach, Robert "Bo" Ruffner, earlier this year.

Whether or not a new head football coach will also be made athletic director was unknown last night, Doyle said, and will depend on the individual's qualifications.

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