After discussion, the Pleasant Valley School District board of directors voted Thursday night to replace expensive grounds equipment and install air conditioning in rooms that are being converted into offices at the former Polk Elementary building.

The district will replace its oldest lawn mower from 1995 with a new $65,139 commercial wide area lawn mower. This John Deere 1600 Turbo Series III vehicle also has a blade and brush for snow removal.

During the meeting, Treasurer Kenneth Cocuzzo asked whether it would be better to wait on this purchase until the spring.

“If you’re putting that kind of money out now and something else happens, I’m just kind of concerned about the budget, because the next item here — which is the utility terrain vehicle — the combination of those two would kind of deplete the equipment budget … and if we have an emergency you would need a transfer of funds.”

Director of Operations William Gasper explained why it was important to buy the mower now.

“I’m afraid come spring, if we don’t have a tractor — say that thing for some reason doesn’t wanna start next year and it’s done — then there we sit and we have to wait until we get one,” Gasper said.

Gasper added that it would be more expensive to buy the newer model in the spring, and that the snow attachments will be helpful this winter. The district is trying to use less salt this winter because it eats into the sidewalks and gets tracked into the buildings.

“This is one step in the general direction,” Gasper said. “It might take four or five years, but as we get things we gotta look into trying to get equipment that’s more universal and be able to do more than one thing.”

The district currently spends 168 hours per month to maintain its 118 acres of grass, Gasper said.

The vote was 7-1, with Director Laura Jecker opposed. Director Robert Serfass was absent.

The district voted unanimously to replace a dump truck bed for $14,315.

It also tabled Gasper’s request for a $18,849 commercial utility terrain vehicle with a blade for snow removal until he has time to do more research. Directors questioned his choice of a gas engine as opposed to a diesel engine.

In other business

The district is turning rooms in the Polk Elementary building into extra offices for the school district administration because they are overcrowded, board President Susan Kresge explained after the meeting.

The board awarded $80,735 to S.J. Thomas Company Inc. to insulate the ceilings of these rooms and install air conditioning.