BUTLER TWP — Butler Area School District school board voted at a meeting Monday to pay Hannan Inc. about $16,000 to remove asbestos from flooring, tile and other materials in Butler Senior High School.

Brian White, district superintendent, said there are rooms in the athletic areas of the high school with cracked tile that has to be removed. Work will begin to remove the asbestos from the premises “soon,” he said.

“In this case, it is floor tile that is cracked, so we had to seal the room,” he said. “It’s in the athletic area of the high school, and that area is slated to be renovated in the spring. So the contractors can’t go in to do the work until the asbestos is removed.”

The board also heard an update from a representative from Eckles Construction Services on the high school addition project. The representatives said the construction on the auxiliary gym should be completed by August, and the large group instruction room should be done by September.

However, the classrooms that are being built to bring ninth-grade students from the middle school into the high school will likely take longer than anticipated.

"We know we’re not going to have the classroom addition at the start of school,“ White said. ”We don’t want to give up that contractual obligation, but we also have to be realistic.“

White said the district administration is evaluating the most cost-effective way to house the incoming students in the high school while it is still under construction next school year. He said the school may need eight modular classrooms to accommodate students, but he and the administrators are weighing options to bring before the school board.

Students may be able to move from the modular structures into classrooms as construction is completed.