BUFFALO TWP — The Freeport School Board agreed Wednesday night to replace the high school auditorium stage counterweight system before the high school musical March 14. The weights control backdrops and curtains.

The district will pay Pittsburgh Stage of Sewickley, $110,000 for the work, which is expected to begin the second week in February and take four to five weeks to complete.

The project includes counterweight rigging and new stage curtains. The rigging has a 50-year life span, said Bill Reilly, business manager.

No money was budgeted for the project, but the existing counterweight system does not meet American National Standards Institute rules, and poses a safety hazard, Reilly said. The district might postpone buying curtains until summer, he said.

Board members said the auditorium also needs new seats and air conditioning.