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Movement slow on GUHSD bond projects
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
EL CAJON — The Thursday, Sept. 6
meeting of the Grossmont Union High School board brought some
welcome commendations, some important information as well as
some parrying from the board members about the etiquette of
meetings.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, the board members
awarded Curtis Mackenzie for the Teacher Innovator of the Month
for July 2007. Mike Leyva received this award for the month of
August 2007, and Azita Mahmoudi received this award for the
month of September. The board also recognized Steve Paz as the
School Resource Officer of the year. Saundra Rene Stevenson
received the award for the Classified Employee of the Year.
Once all the awards and commendations were dispatched,
Anthony Fulton from AF consultants made a lengthy presentation
to the board on the review of the Proposition H Bond program and
how the program was progressing. The board retained AF
consultants in May of 2007, for a third party review, with the
intention of assessing the status and work progress of the
program thus far.
Fulton’s presentation was broken down into six separate
sections: Overall Bond Program and Progress to date, Design Team
Costs and Reasonableness of Fees, Construction Management Costs
and Reasonableness of Fees, Selected Project Analysis, Labor
Compliance Program and Construction Cost Escalation.
Fulton reported that in reviewing the progress of the
bond thus far, he felt that the board has handled it well
enough, especially now that they have hired a Program Project
Manager that will drive the projects with organization as well
as documentation and accountability. Up until the hiring of this
Project Manager, Fulton said that there was a definite lack of
program management in addition to a lack in financial controls.
Fulton offered a few recommendations at the meeting
such as an updated program management, project procedure manual.
In addition, the board should review the scope of work to better
fit the budget. Also, Fulton recommended that the board consider
adopting an architectural contract format, which more clearly
defines the scope of the project.
This third party report on the Proposition H Bond
project is posted on the GUHSD web site, in its entirety at
www.guhsd.net/documents/FinalDraftJuly2007.pdf.
Dick Hoy questioned Fulton after his presentation about
whether the district was now on the right track with this
project. Fulton answered, “I believe the district’s on the right
track in hiring a Project Manager.”
Urdahl asked Fulton if it was true that price reduction
is now a factor in the construction industry. Fulton answered
with a vague comment, saying that it is hard to tell what the
price escalation is.
Recent years have shown a price escalation in
construction as high as 25 percent, but those costs seem to have
leveled out, and the new escalation figures are quoted at about
5 percent. Fulton said that he did not see an actual drop in
costs but possibly a leveling out in costs as the construction
cost market is going back to normal.
When questioned about what the Citizen’s Bond Oversight
Committee should be addressing, Fulton answered that with the
Program Manager in place, the CBOC should be concerned with the
Scope, Budget, and Schedule of the project. Overall, Fulton said
that up until now, the district was “pretty normal on their
performance audit,” though they are continuing to make
improvements and are moving forward in a positive manner.
Bob Kiesling, Executive Director, Facilities
Management, made his report to the board, focusing on background
accomplishments, the repair of aging roofs, the upgrade to the
plumbing, classroom renovation and the renovation of the utility
soffets.
He reported that the current work in progress is taking
place at Grossmont High School with 16 percent completion, and
El Cajon High School with 19 percent completion. The
improvements at Mount Miguel High School will be underway soon,
as the 50-year anniversary date has now happened, and extra
monies will be available because of that.
Kiesling reported that the Phase 3A Science Classroom
project would be starting in three weeks. Also, the Viking
Center’s exits have now all been enlarged to better accommodate
the facilities that the students use to transport themselves to
classes or need for transportation, such as wheelchairs and
gurneys.
Kiesling responded to Priscilla Schreiber’s request for
an update on the deferred maintenance plan, saying that he will
bring that in on a future report.
The Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee’s chair, Bill
Wells, made his report to the board. He acknowledged an opening
in the CBOC and said that the CBOC was welcome to the
appointment of an organization to fill this spot.
The CBOC agreed that a financial organization would be
a welcome addition to the committee, but requests that this
appointment be an organization that actually has a stake in the
district.
Wells then brought up the CBOC’s bylaws, and this
engendered quite a bit of discussion. The bylaws state the terms
in which a member may serve on the CBOC, which would bring to an
end, Well’s involvement as well as Harold Hilikers. Wells asked
if these bylaws could be amended, as the CBOC was now making
progress on the bond project, and it would be a shame if members
of the CBOC that had so much experience in the project, had to
retire their seat.
Wells added that the CBOC is meeting on Sept. 13, at 5
p.m. to organize a comment on the “Bond Matrix 2” that has been
formed. This matrix is a plan that was reconfigured from an
original Matrix, organizing over 160 recommendation that were
offered by the Bond Advisory Committee (BAC) according to
function, specifying a primary entity who is responsible, and
taking into consideration all the recommendations from the third
party review.
Wells said that the CBOC felt certain urgency in the
turn around of the CBOC’s comment on this. Board president
Priscilla Schreiber reassured Wells that there was no urgency
for the CBOC’s reaction to this matrix. The matrix is a plan to
move forward with the bond project, nothing more.
Jim Kelly, who admitted to attending two of the CBOC
meetings in the last three years, objected to the treatment of
the CBOC on this matter. He said that the BAC is no longer a
board directed commission, and should not be consulted in the
matter of the project. He said that their involvement ended when
they presented their report to the board in June.
Mark Price rebutted this, by saying that the board
asked him to draft a matrix, while the staff was acting
simultaneously. Price said that in the staff’s matrix, they did
not include all of the BAC’s recommendations, and he said that
Kiesling agreed that the first draft of the Matrix needed
prioritization.
Price said that Kiesling asked him if he would like to
“take a stab at it.” Price ended his comments saying that he
would be happy if the BAC was over, but as long as the district
asked him to do something, he said, “I’m going to do it, because
I love this district.”
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Christy Scott
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