Pottsville Area School District will advertise for bids to repair the more than 20-foot section of stone wall behind the high school that collapsed in June, Kerry L. Ansbach, district facilities director, said Tuesday.
However, District Business Manager Stephen C. Curran wasn't so sure.
"It's going to be under $18,900, I believe," Curran said Tuesday.
According to the Public School Code, the board must advertise for competitive bids before buying furniture, equipment, school supplies and appliances costing $18,900 or more.
"No. It will be more than that," Ansbach said.
He said he was working on "an RFP," a request for proposals, to advertise the job in the newspaper.
The board may take action on the matter at its workshop at 7 p.m. Sept. 11, according to Ansbach.
The collapse occurred 3 a.m. June 18. The section of stone wall is along the south side of First Avenue, just west of North 16th Street. Soon afterward, Ansbach contacted the district's broker, Higgins Insurance, Pottsville. Higgins sent Liberty Mutual Insurance to investigate the claim. In a letter to the district dated Aug. 13, a representative from Liberty Mutual stated the district's policy did not provide coverage for the claim.
"Last week, we received a verbal confirmation from Higgins that they were going to proceed with the claim," Curran said.
"But we were required to get bids for the project," Ansbach said.
Just before the first day of school Aug. 26, Ansbach and his staff moved the large stones which fell out of the wall to a softball field near John S. Clarke Elementary School.
"There must have been 30 ton of them, easy. The majority of them will be put back into the wall," Ansbach said.
District facilities workers stood wooden horses around the collapsed area to keep students from getting near it.
"So far there haven't been any problems. But the wall is unstable with that part missing," Ansbach said.
The sections of the wall on either side of the collapsed area are starting to move. Ansbach isn't sure how long they'll stay in place, but wasn't able to predict if they'd fall.
"I'm hoping that doesn't happen. I'm praying that doesn't happen. There's at least 12 feet of wall - six feet on either side of the collapsed area - that's leaning forward. Both sides are moving. We're keeping an eye on it," Ansbach said.
He said he hopes the wall will be repaired by either late October or early November.