The Bethel Park Community Foundation, in collaboration with the Bethel Artists' Guild and South Arts, will sponsor A Celebration of the Arts at the Bethel Park Community Center on Park Avenue from 4 to 9 p.m. Sept. 13.

The show will feature the works of South Hills artists, including the late Jess Hager. Mr. Hager, who died in January 2007, was an internationally recognized artist whose career spanned more than 50 years. His subjects ranged from historical scenes to contemporary studies, in addition to landscapes, portraits and figure paintings. He is best known locally for his nostalgic works of Pittsburgh and the steel industry. He also was associated with USX Corp. as an art director and illustrator for 22 years and did a series of paintings for their international operations.

Mr. Hager had many one-man shows, and his award-winning original paintings are included in corporate and private collections all over the world.

All works will be for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Bethel Park Community Foundation. There will be a $5 charge for admission at the door.

For more, call event chairman Deb Luckasevic at 412-835-5103, or visit www.bpcf.org.

Police chief Harold Lane said at the Aug. 11 council meeting that the borough is experiencing frustration with utility companies not repaving borough roads adequately after doing work in the area.

"This happens every year," he said. "I want to clarify to the residents that the borough is not responsible in any way, shape or form for the poor patchwork on our roads."

He specifically expressed frustration with road repair contractors hired by the Pennsylvania American Water Co.

Borough code requires repairs to the road to be made not in patches but "curb to curb."

Borough manager Tom Hartswick said that he has made several calls on the issue, but due to the "batch" process for repairing roads, response is slow.

• The borough is also looking to revise its solicitation policy, citing recent concerns over complaints from residents over aggressive salespeople in the borough.

"I keep getting calls about this and there is nothing I can do," Mayor Donald Baumgarten said.

The borough solicitor said that he would make recommendations for revisions to the borough policy.

• The borough is also examining various options for saving on gas. Councilman Mike Cheberenchick noted that the road department is $7,000 over budget because of high gas prices. He expressed his concerns over the state of the borough's budget through December.

The borough voted to sell its unmarked police vehicle, a red Crown Victoria, which has been inactive. Also, Mr. Hartswick said that he would meet with municipal workers to look for other methods for saving on fuel costs.

"I don't believe there is a community out there, in the nation, that isn't being affected by high fuel prices," said council president R.J. Zezulewicz.

The Mt. Lebanon Junior Women's Club will commemorate its 40th anniversary with a cookbook, "A Fare to Remember: 40 Years of Time-Tested Recipes for Every Occasion."

The $20 book, which features 537 recipes including 100 from special contributer Randy Tozzie, chef of Giant Eagle's Market District in Bethel Park, is available at Rollier's on Washington Road and at the Center for Theater Arts. It will also be sold at various summer events in the area, including First Fridays and select Mt. Lebanon Farmer's Market events.

The Early Learning Institute, a specialized childhood education organization, will host its 11th annual Fore Kids! golf benefit at St. Clair Country Club Sept. 29.

For more information or to register, call 412-922-8322, ext. 26.

Hillcrest Christian Academy, 2500 Bethel Church Road, has openings available in its preschool and afternoon kindergarten programs.

The pre-school program meets from 8:45 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; the kindergarten program meets from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The school is accredited by the Association for Christian Schools International, the largest Christian school accrediting association in the country.

Parents interested in enrolling children in either program are asked to call 412-854-4040.

Nutrition Inc. of West Newton, Westmoreland County, will be the district's food service provider for the 2008-09 school year and may be renewed by mutual agreement for four additional one-year periods.

The school board's 6-3 vote last week to rehire Nutrition Inc. over Metz & Associates of Dallas in Luzerne County, the only other firm to submit a bid, ended a tense seven-week period of counter proposals and controversy. Voting to retain Nutrition were directors Tom Galluze, Mary Lou Petronsky, Jeff Choura, Bridget Kelly, Beth McIntyre and Patti Frey. Opposed were Patti Figorski, Pam Poletti and Herb Ohliger.

Mr. Galluze remarked that both companies had issues, but that Nutrition eventually came up with the lowest bid and Mr. Choura suggested that building principals should not wait until the end of the school year to report problems such as food shortages or quality issues.

To keep the board more informed, Mrs. Kelly asked that food report accounts be included in the building principals' monthly reports to school administrators and officials. Her colleagues agreed.

Mrs. Poletti explained her no vote by stating that district administrators had raised "serious" food quality issues and also that she preferred some of Metz' nutritional programs.

"I'm just not pleased with the way the whole process came down," said Mrs. Figorski, board president.

Chartiers Valley annually spends about $1.3 million to operate cafeterias at its four schools.

Family Instructors of the South Hills, a local home educating support group, has set its first meeting of the new school year for 7 p.m. Monday. Aug 25 at the home of Nancy Davis, 77 Longuevue Drive, Mt. Lebanon.

Home-schoolers, or anyone interested, are welcome. The topic will be different learning styles. The group meets the fourth Monday of every month.

For more, visit www.familyinstructors.org or call 412-531-2093.

Saying she was disgusted with political glad-handing by other board members, school board member Sandra Gregg resigned her post Monday night. Mrs. Gregg, entering her third term as a director. stepped down two weeks after the school board voted to grant bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 to administrators.

"Every single one of them knows it's wrong," she said of board members granting the bonuses. "If I was a member of the public, I would be watching these board members."

Mrs. Gregg said the awarding of the bonuses put her "over the edge," but that she had been planning to resign soon due to the stress of serving on the board, which she said has become more political.

"This current board is all followers," said Mrs. Gregg, who said popularity has replaced education as a top priority for her board mates.

She said the board was presented with the raises by acting Superintendent Joseph Dimperio and approved them based on political pressure and personal agendas.

When she spoke out against the bonuses, Mrs. Gregg said she was warned by other members not to take the issue to the media.

"I got a phone call about being quiet," she said.

Mrs. Gregg said she was glad to have served long enough to approve the hiring of new Superintendent Dr. Nina Zetty, who took over the office Monday.

She said she hopes other board members find the courage to dissent as she has done.

The board is seeking a replacement for Mrs. Gregg.

Student driver's pass applications are available in the high school office. Completed forms, along with a driver's license and a $5 fee, should be brought to the office today and tomorrow, to be eligible to drive to school.

For more, call Laura Thomson at 412-675-3043.

The school board on Monday approved a 4 percent salary increase for Superintendent John Allison, bringing his salary to $156,000 effective July 1, 2008.

The board also approved other salary increases, including an average of 4.55 percent for 10-month hourly clerical workers, 3 percent food service employees, 3.5 percent for personal care assistants and 5.14 percent for teachers.

• Several members of the community asked the board to include a renovation of field and field house athletic facilities in its plans for a new or renovated high school.

In July, the board had Celli-Flynn Brennan Architects & Planners present four options for renovation and new construction of the high school with prices ranging from $79.8 million to $132 million. The options did not include the field house, stadium of football field.

John Linkosky said he was student at Mt. Lebanon High School in the 1970s when the current field house and football field were constructed. He said at the time Mt. Lebanon was the only high school in the area to have artificial turf.

Currently, he said, Mt. Lebanon has one of the oldest facilities.

He asked the board to consider renovating and expanding the field house, installing a new surface on the football field and constructing a new press box.

Matthew Barron, 17, a defensive back on the Mt. Lebanon High School football team, described deteriorating conditions inside the locker rooms at the field house, including chipped paint and brown water that comes from the shower heads.

He also said the current field house has no separate facilities for female athletes.

Matthew also asked the board to consider the health of the students. He said currently two members of the football team have a rash. He said the rash is not MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant infection that has plagued members of the football team in recent years.