Friday, August 8, 2003
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Friday, August 8, 2003 |
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Board approves McIntosh renovations By J. FRANK LYNCH
Weighing uncertainties about the economy against an overwhelming desire to see each of the county's high schools have "equitable" facilities, an exasperated Fayette County School Board spent 90 minutes Tuesday debating whether to award a construction contract for full renovation of McIntosh High School, or to leave out a key phase of the plan that would have eliminated a fine arts auditorium. Renovating the present gym at the school to turn it into a theater will cost the school system an extra $1.56 million, money not earmarked for the project and not identified in any long-range funding scenarios. Even so, despite recommendations from school district facilities and finance staff that the auditorium be eliminated and finished at a later date, the board voted 5-0 to proceed with the entire project and find the money somewhere down the road. The renovations would not be undertaken until after a new gymnasium is completed, about 30 months after its construction begins. "This is the most difficult decision I've made since I've been on this board," sighed member Janet Smola after the meeting. Agreed chairman Terri Smith, "This is the hardest I've worked since I've been on this board." A nearly $9 million contract was awarded to Nix-Fowler Constructors, Inc., for the McIntosh project, to be completed over the next 30 months. At the same time, the board signed off on awarding a $3.6 million contract to MEJA Construction Co. for adding an auditorium at Sandy Creek High. "I don't see how we can't do this," said Board Member Greg Powers of the McIntosh project. "This is the last opportunity we have to make these schools equitable, to put them all on a level playing field. "I think in 30 months we can come up with $1.5 million somwhere to pay for this," Powers said. "We can put it in next year's budget if we have to. We're going to shortchange ourselves again if we don't. "We're foolish if we don't take advantage of this," he said, pointing out that coming back at a later date to build the auditorium at McIntosh would likely cost way in excess of $1.5 million. "It's a steal," Powers argued. "The whole reason we're doing the Sandy Creek and McIntosh projects at the same time is that we're getting the work done at half the price." Facilities services director Mike Satterfield agreed that coming back at a later date to complete McIntosh would cost more, due to rising construction costs alone, and would inconvenience students even more in the future. Smola questioned the board's obligation to the community, to avoid spending money it does not have but also to take advantage of situations that might save money down the road. "If we obligate the taxpayer without the taxpayers' permission, is that taxpayer going to support a bond vote a year from now?" she asked. "Or do we have an obligation gto get the most for that taxpayer's dollar now?" The McIntosh and Sandy Creek additions, though not proposed as part of a $65 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2000, nonetheless are the last in a string of major projects to come as a result of that vote. Nearly $81 million in work will have been completed when this phase of school system expansion is finished, Powers pointed out, thanks to interest earnings, lower-than-projected construction costs and overall good fiscal management by the district. There's no reason to think the same careful spending can't compensate for the $1.56 million needed to complete McIntosh, money that won't be needed for another two years anyway, Powers said. Among the funding possibilities: Selling off excess land in the area around Cleveland Elementary School, worth an estimated $800,000, or dipping into the district's $12 million reserve fund. That scenario concerns school system finance director Jim Stephens, who has a reputation for fiscal conservancy. "Does this worry you?" Smola asked Stephens directly at one point about proceeding with the plans without the funding in place. "Yes, it does," he responded. Board member Lee Wright insisted on close scrutiny of the projects, the costs and the funding mechanisms. "If we proceed, I think it's imperative we track this thing closely, that the finance and facilities staffs stay in close contact," Wright said. He was seconded by Marion Key, who reluctantly voted for the McIntosh contract despite insisting she did not approve of "spending money we don't have." "If the costs don't come in close to the bids or there are cost overruns, I want to know about it ahead of time," she said, addressing school district staff. "I don't want to have to come to a board meeting and find out on a memo about this stuff. We need to know what's going on."
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