By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
The USD 489 Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Monday.
Nabholz Project Manager Dylan Weddle presented a change order for the new high school. The $88,347 change order included concession receptacles, polished concrete revisions, addition of gates at the football field, power revisions for the new scoreboard and striping for the parking lot.
Superintendent Ron Wilson explained that the new scoreboard requires more power than the old board.
“The first day of school was when we tried to turn on the scoreboard and it didn’t turn on because we didn’t have the right power,” Wilson said.
The majority of the change order items have already been completed according to Weddle.
“So we’re approving something that’s already been done,” Board Member Allen Park said.
Weddle said there wasn’t time to schedule a board meeting and finalize pricing as the items needed to be completed quickly.
“It would have delayed the scope being completed and the majority of these items could not be completed after school had started,” Weddle said. “So we were up against the clock of school starting there.”
Wilson agreed.
“This all happened within basically a week of school starting,” Wilson said.
According to Weddle, the current process has Wilson as the owner representative who makes those types of decisions. The board decides where those changes are funded from and what gets funded.
“If you want to change that process, that’s up to you, but that’s not my decision to make,” Weddle said.
Over half of the items were owner-requested.
“None of them are anything that we just made up and decided needed to happen,” Weddle said.
Wilson made sure the board was also aware of all the positives of the new facility.
“Sometimes I don’t think there’s enough appreciation for the work that has gotten done because we’ve had several really cool events, that people have, and I can tell you about 3,000 people were all in awe of that place,” Wilson said.
Park said it is an awesome facility, but that these requests still should have been approved in advance.
“We’re approving something that’s already been done,” Park said. “We should’ve done it back when we knew about it. And if you (Wilson) knew about it, you should’ve let us know.”
Board member Ken Brooks asked what would have been done differently had the board known in advance.
“There’s nothing,” he said. “This had to be done.”
The change order passed 5-2.
The group also reviewed a bid from ACM Removal LLS to complete floor tile removal and asbestos-containing mastic for $69,480 for Hays Middle School (formerly Hays High School).
The glue underneath the tiles contains non-friable asbestos-containing mastic. Therefore, the asbestos is not a danger until the tile is removed, which will occur during the bond remodeling.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Chris Hipp said $80,000 was budgeted for the title removal and abatement.
Park said the building was built too recently to have asbestos.
“We’ve had several companies look at it, so I’m going to trust that they know what they’re looking at,” Wilson said.
The bid was approved 6-1, with Park voting against.
Board Member Ruth Ruder questioned Park and his voting decisions after his second “no” vote of the meeting.
“Are you just voting ‘no’ to suffice the public because you’re not spending money?” Ruder said. “Every week we come here and we get ‘no’ votes on things that should not be voted ‘no’ on.”
Park responded, saying he is not voting against the asbestos removal, but voting against the process.
“Any building built after a certain date should not have any asbestos in it,” Park said.
The former Hays High School building was completed in 1982.
The board also approved a marketing contract with Pizza Hut for static signage and digital advertising in the Gold gym.
The next Board of Education meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on October 13 at the Rockwell Administration Building.