MORAVIA - Members of the Moravia Central School District Board of Education are having second thoughts about abolishing the district position of carpenter.

During the board meeting on Wednesday, School Business Administrator Pat Shaw and members of the board discussed the possibility of hiring a new superintendent of buildings and grounds while maintaining the five maintenance employees currently on staff.

“Personally, I totally support a superintendent of buildings and grounds,” said Laura Wells, board president, “in addition to the staff we currently have.”

Shaw said that the district hadn't budgeted for six maintenance employees, and while there may be enough money to pay for all six salaries, there wouldn't be any funds for overtime.

Wells had said that she had gone through the numbers and thought it would be feasible.

The board had decided to hire a superintendent of buildings and grounds - a position that would, along with many other duties, include the responsibilities of carpenter - earlier this year. The district believed the carpenter position would not be needed, and budgeted the hiring of the superintendent while abolishing the position of carpenter, currently held by Bill Youngs.

Abolishing the carpenter position would also displace other members of the maintenance staff.

“It's fiscally responsible to higher the number of people you need and not pay for positions you don't need,” Shaw said.

“If it was not budgeted, that is our answer right there,” board member Anne Haessner said.

A list of qualified candidates for the superintendent of buildings and grounds was generated by the civil service commission, Shaw said. That list is set to expire at the end of the month. Shaw received direction from the board to renew that list another 30 days until the decision to abolish the carpenter position or hire the superintendent as a sixth employee is made.

In other news:

* The field hockey field at the Moravia Junior-Senior High School will be dedicated to retired field hockey coach Terry Palmer on Sept. 28 at 4 p.m.

* Emily Lockett, 18, of Moravia and Kaylee Langtry, 17, of Moravia, two members of the field hockey team, and two coaches asked the board for two or three buses to transport the field hockey and volleyball teams to Syracuse to walk in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk-a-thon on Sept. 30.

Lisa Hares, modified field hockey coach, and Kim Nihoff, junior varsity field hockey coach told the board that the booster club would be willing to pay for gas and that they have one volunteer bus driver.

“It sounds like a wonderful project that you're trying to accomplish,” Wells said.

Providing a bus requires board approval, and the issue will be added to the next meeting's agenda.

* The next board meeting will be held on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. in the board room at the Moravia Junior-Senior High School, 68 S. Main St., Moravia.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239.