No changes are forthcoming for Palmerton High School's damaged gymnasium floor.

At least, that appeared to be the general consensus following Thursday's lightly attended meeting of the school board's Buildings and Grounds Committee.Only four committee members, Carl Bieling, Cindy Gasper, Darlene Yeakel and Stuart Henritzy, attended the meeting.Dave Rodrigues, director of facilities, said he met with three different contractors to discuss remedies to repair the floor inside its newly-renovated gymnasium.Based on those conversations, Rodrigues said it would probably be in the district's best interest to leave the floor untouched.The matter in question stems from an inadvertent mishap that caused about a 50-foot gouge in the floor.The incident occurred as cheerleaders were in the midst of moving wrestling mats from storage out to the floor so that they could use them for their cheering stunts.But, when they did so, a wheel on one corner bent itself under and came loose, which caused the scrape along the floor.Associate principal/athletic director William Congdon said he agreed with the approach suggested by Rodrigues."There are questions that really need to be answered to do it right," Congdon said. "I don't think we have all the answers to make a decision at this time."Further, Congdon said he doesn't believe the floor's condition will have an impact on the basketball season.The committee agreed to review the matter further before it makes a recommendation to the board.The gymnasium has been plagued by several problems in recent months.In July, Rodrigues told the committee corrections had to be made to the floor after some of the boards began to separate.And, in Oct. 2008, paint began to peel from the walls of the gymnasium. That problem has since been rectified.Also on Thursday, Rodrigues discussed fire panel upgrades at the high school/junior high school building.Last month, the board approved the payment of an amount not to exceed $2,500 for the review and approval of a fire alarm and detection system at the complex.Rodrigues said a tentative schedule shows the project could be completed by around mid-July.In an unrelated matter, Rodrigues informed the committee of a problem that recently occurred in the junior high/high school water main.At that time, an electrical contact got stuck due to the corrosion from a dehumidifier that wasn't working, he said.As a result, Rodrigues said the district will have to replace the contacts and the dehumidifier. The dehumidifier should cost about $250, he said.Finally, Rodrigues said the district will have to replace a dish machine inside the high school after an electrical breaker failed and caused the machine to break down.A new dish machine is expected to cost $1,685, he said.