Time was on the minds of school officials early Tuesday morning - they are anxious to get building projects started in time to have them completed when schools reopen in the fall and to encumber the funds before the start of a new fiscal
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Time was on the minds of school officials early Tuesday morning – they are anxious to get building projects started in time to have them completed when schools reopen in the fall and to encumber the funds before the start of a new fiscal year.
Time was also on the minds of the two City Council members who attended the 7 a.m. School Committee meeting. They wanted to know why the meeting was held so early, why the department hadn’t sought bids for the projects sooner, and why they weren’t “given the time” to ask questions.
“This is the second meeting in a month they’ve had at 7 a.m.,” Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur said. He pointed out that while the meetings were properly advertised, he questioned who could attend them. He ruled out teachers and parents because they would be at work.
Ladouceur and Ward 3 Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson, as well as the audience, got an explanation from School Committee Chair Beth Furtado. She said because of the volume of school evening events at this time of year such as honors and awards nights, and the need to award contracts as quickly as possible, a morning meeting was the only option.
Ladouceur raised his hand during the 40-minute session and was informed the committee would not be entertaining questions from the audience. Following the meeting, he said all he wanted was the dollar amounts of the projects being voted on, which were not listed on the agenda. Also, the bid documents made available to the committee were not distributed to the audience.
Ladouceur is a member of the school construction committee Mayor Scott Avedisian named in February. As a contractor, he said he expected to review construction projects as they related to the consolidation of schools, but that hasn’t happened. He said the committee hasn’t met.
Bruce Keiser in the mayor’s office explained yesterday that the committee, headed by former Warwick Planner Mark Carruolo, will monitor the projects once the work begins.
A disappointment to Ladouceur and members of the School Committee was the lack of bids for the capital improvement projects. Stephen Gothberg, director of buildings and grounds, had an explanation.
“All of a sudden the construction business has gotten extremely busy,” he said.
Despite advertising and notification to major contractors, the department received only two bids on an extensive list of renovations to be done to Pilgrim High School and what will become of Veterans Junior High. The work includes improvements to the entrances of both schools, rehabilitation of both auditoriums, gym floors at Vets, bathrooms at Vets, and a new cafeteria ceiling at Pilgrim.
School committee member Karen Bachus questioned why the work needed to be done. Gothberg said some of the renovations are the first since the schools were built and that postponing them would only allow the schools to slip further into deterioration.
In response to committee member Eugene Nadeau on why there was so little interest in the project, Gothberg said contractors were asked why they hadn’t bid and he was told that they were “scheduled” and couldn’t fit the jobs in to meet the end-of-summer deadline.
No bids were received for the removal of asbestos on the roof of the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, although eight companies had been notified of the work. The committee, with Bachus dissenting, voted on a $41,900 change order for the roof replacement being done by Eagle Cornice Co.
Bachus questioned why Eagle was not aware of the asbestos when they initially bid the job. And Ladouceur pointed out after the meeting that contractors conduct test boring of roofs before bidding a job. He, too, thought that should have been understood from the start.
Balise Chevrolet of Warwick was the only bidder for three vehicles being acquired by the department. The department is buying an express cargo van for $24,100 and two cargo vans at $21,100 each.
Gothberg cited the age of the existing vehicles the new ones will replace and called the bids “a good value.” The $66,300 total will come out of $77,000 budgeted for the vehicles.
Also approved was the $229,221 bid of Lucena Brothers for sidewalk repairs, $13,686.15 to Whalley Computer Associates for 54 Chromebook computers, and $8,000 to renew the contract with School Spring Unlimited, which is used by the school personnel department for the processing of job applications.
Apart from capital improvements to be made with school bond revenues, Gothberg said he plans to replace the stairs to the Winman entrance as well as repair the curbing in front of the school. He said he expects to accomplish that out of his operating budget.
He said improvements to Pilgrim and Vets would start when the schools close and that contractors have been told to have the work done 10 days before schools reopen.
“We need to get in and clean up,” he said of school janitorial crews.
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TessEckel
Time was also on the minds of the two City Council members who attended the 7 a.m. School Committee meeting. They wanted to know why the meeting was held so early, why the department hadn’t sought bids for the projects sooner, and why they weren’t “given the time” to ask questions.
“This is the second meeting in a month they’ve had at 7 a.m.,” Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur said. He pointed out that while the meetings were properly advertised, he questioned who could attend them. He ruled out teachers and parents because they would be at work.
"...committee member Eugene Nadeau on why there was so little interest in the project, Gothberg said contractors were asked why they hadn’t bid and he was told that they were “scheduled” and couldn’t fit the jobs in to meet the his end-of-summer deadline."
Really? These morons are abusing their power and in charge of millions of hard earned tax dollars. They are careless and inconsiderate. These people need to be held accountable for their uneducated decisions. They need to slow down and think about the kids.
Thursday, May 26, 2016 Report this
knowthetruth4
This article is very disturbing. The fact that a 7am meeting was being held shows that the school administration and Warwick School Committee do not want teachers and taxpayers to see what they are up to. Also, putting in the approval of all of these construction projects without bids shows that the school department is trying to build the plane while its flying. Warwick citizens should be outraged.
Friday, May 27, 2016 Report this
Justanidiot
**yawn**
Friday, May 27, 2016 Report this
MGrooter
Sounds like the good old bate and switch technique! Shell game at it's finest! I'll believe these changes when I see them. Come on people! A little asbestos in your kids lunch won't kill'em. WAIT! Yes it will! This city is becoming a joke run by the biggest jokers around. Here's what's really going to happen to our schools. A few band aid fixes that look good from the outside while it continues to rot from the inside. I only want the best learning environment for my son. Guess he'll just have to where a face mask and hazmat suit to school everyday. The Warwick School Committee and superintendent Thornton work like evil villains straight from the pages of Marvel Comics. They are full of lies and empty promises just get what they want. Education seems to be last on their list.
Friday, May 27, 2016 Report this
smh
After reading this article, I feel the physical plants will be less safe structurally than they are now...There is no way everything each school can be done to completion in the approximate 8.5 week summer vacation timeframe w/o short cuts...
As for the goings on at this "public" meeting, the violations are too numerous to count...
None of this is acceptable...It's just not...
Saturday, May 28, 2016 Report this
Wiseguy
I guess they must be hiding some thing. Nothing like waiting for the last minute to get bids. Any one see a bid for the Veterans heating system. I guess when it fails all those poor Warwick vets kids will just have to bring heaters and jackets to supplement Warwick schools screw ups. I guess Warwick schools could also give those kids half an education and run double sessions at Pilgrim. I remember 10 years ago when Warwick Public schools could not afford to buy paper. Parents were donating paper to the schools. At the end of the year what happened after the great paper crisis Warwick Schools ended the year with a surplus. Remember about 7 years ago when things were going to be cut and the teacher had to give back the raises and do a larger medical copay to save education programs. Do you remember the result yes a budget surplus.Remember about 6 years ago when Warwick schools cut sports and the city had to pay for school sports out of a special account. Do you also remember what happened at the end of the year. Yes you Guessed it surplus $$$$. I am not saying things don't need to be fixed they do. the school committee just does not spend wisely or not at all. Surpluses between 1.5 million and 6million over the past 8 years. About 4 Years ago they needed to close a school. Now they need to close 3 schools. Now they also don't want to give the teachers a new contract. next year they want to close more schools. This school committee needs to go. Ever year they make a new crisis what will the next 1 be. Please recall the school committee.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 Report this
danfire
Warwick's new logo
WHILE TEACHERS GET LAID OFF ADMINISTRATORS GET LAID
Warwick's new logo under Phil Thornton leadership.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 Report this
MGrooter
Hey guys! Let's take bets that the new administration building (the old Gorton Jr. High) gets all scrubbed up with a brand new AC unit delivering cold air to all the FAT CAT administrators new offices. That place is huge! Better hire more administrative minions to fill the space. It's only tax payer money ya know. Hey Superintendent Thornton what office is going to be yours? I know, take the one with the best view of the city that you're failing. I hear that the teachers want to strike! Great, that's just the publicity this city needs right now. You better hope they don't strike. My kid says that the subs are laughable. You only have a handful and most of them are so old that they almost fall asleep in class. That's what this system needs! Substitutes so old that the last time they taught school students used slate slabs to write on and kids rolled hoops with a stick down the old dirt road just for fun. I can't believe that they are actually going thru with this. Nice job letting the school committee run your city with bad mistakes Mayor Avedisian.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 Report this
Splendor
Correct me if I'm wrong...do you think for 2.5 million dollars, we could tear down the high school and build a new one instead of replacing the roof? Does a roof really cost 2.5 million or did the company that made the bid know that we were in a time crunch ?
Sunday, June 5, 2016 Report this