The Montoursville Area School Board is mulling options before moving forward to address drainage problems at athletic fields.

LIVIC Civil, an engineering firm, submitted a $13,500 proposal to the district for a preliminary study of the fields located between Fairview Drive and Maple Street.

The proposal appeared on the agenda of a recent board meeting for school directors to either accept or reject.

Board member Sharon Meyer questioned why other firms weren’t being considered.

“There are other people out there who do this,” she said.

She also questioned the different costs outlined in the proposal.

Superintendent Dan Taormina explained that the entire process will involve dealing first with the drainage issues and later deciding whether to replace playing surfaces impacted by water runoff.

“We can table this and put out for proposals,” he said.

Discussion in recent months at board meetings mostly considered stormwater drainage at the baseball field. However, questions have arisen if soccer and softball fields located just north of the baseball field are dealing with similar issues.

In its written proposal, LIVIC stated it planned to conduct a topographic survey of the fields, locate nearby stormwater facilities, and evaluate soil conditions.

District resident Ron Snell, a former school director, told the board he feared the district would eventually absorb high costs to fix the issues.

“That’s why we are going step by step,” Taormina said. “We’ll take care of the drainage first.”

In other matters, the board voted to support state House Bill 41, proposed legislation to create separate PIAA playoffs for boundary and non-boundary schools in post-season games.

In the resolution passed by the board it states that non-boundary schools are at a “unique advantage in relation to interscholastic competition, this includes students attending institutions from a larger geographic area and student athletes who reside in other states, not just Pennsylvania.”

The resolution further noted that from 2019 to 2024, non-boundary schools competed in PIAA championships “at a rate of 23% to 58% among all classifications in sports.”

Board member John Houseknecht, head of the athletic committee, said many districts have come out in support of House Bill 41.

“There is a disparity here,” he said.

In personnel matters, the board approved the hiring of Karen Bergen as a school nurse at a yearly salary of $54,200.

Taormina noted she was selected from among various quality candidates for the job.

“We are excited to bring her on,” he said.

Tracey Ulmer was approved as a part-time paraprofessional at $16 per hour.

The board approved an agreement with Central Susquehanna IU #16 for student information software at a cost of $31,475.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14 at the high school.