Conemaugh Valley board approves new stage rigging

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Shane Hazenstab, superintendent for Conemaugh Valley School District, is shown on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – New stage rigging and associated equipment will be installed at Conemaugh Valley High School in the near future.

The school board approved nearly $90,000 in expenses for the project at the May 11 meeting.

“It’s a safety issue,” Superintendent Shane Hazenstab said.

“It’s something we had to do.”

Allen Bixel, Conemaugh Valley director of music, agreed. “The biggest thing is the safety issue,” he said.

Bixel noted that several years ago the maintenance staff added tethers to the curtains and light bar system to reinforce the equipment to prevent anything from falling onto the stage.

“The new riggings will eliminate systems that are no longer used, as well as bring the usable systems up to required current safety standards,” he said.

“This will allow the maintenance staff and I to breathe easier when things are happening on stage.”

Hazenstab confirmed the stage equipment is original to the school that was opened in 1967, and added that the board has talked about this replacement work for some time.

In addition to the rigging, the tracks, counterweights and arbors are also being updated.

The price was quoted to the school by Pittsburgh Stage Inc. and the quote of $89,176 is through the COSTARS cooperative purchasing program.

Hazenstab said the board is remaining cautious with expenditures such as this while working on next year’s budget, which is projected to have a deficit of $1.7 million.

A financial meeting will be scheduled before the June meeting for the members to continue the discussion on the financials and try to adjust the bottom line before passing the budget for the 2023-24 academic year.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5054. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.

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