Superintendent Elaine Farris said the district just made a mistake with the wording on the document.
“We just used the wrong document to request for proposals. The issue with it was that KDE was concerned because it had construction management on it,” said Farris. “KDE gave us a document outlining the scope of services for a resident observer. We will have to re-advertise and resubmit, for approval to KDE, an RFP for resident observer.”
The board already has a special called meeting set for Tuesday, Oct. 26, at which time, Farris said, the board will rescind the improper agenda item authorizing the district to advertise and request proposals for construction manager to serve as resident inspector.
It’s not unusual for school boards to have an on-site observer who reports to the board during construction, which has been the board’s aim since the beginning of the project, Farris said.
“We have a $40 million construction project out there, and the board has been adamant from the start that they want someone on that site,” Farris said.
Architect Ron Murrell of RossTarrant Architects said he thought it was always a good idea for school boards to have resident observers on site.
“I’m all for the idea. There’s nothing wrong with having another set of eyes out there on site, especially on a project this large,” said Murrell.
While the approval of the RFP, as presented last week, raised some questions, Farris said the board had done what its members thought was right, without a KDE document which to go by, and it had sought out advice on the matter from KDE.
“We talked with KDE to make sure everything is done according to statutes and regulations provided by KDE and the state,” Farris said. “The board never intended to have any perception of impropriety and never has any board member said they want any specific person, group or company to do this service. The board’s goal always is to operate within the statutes provided by KDE and the state.”
Along with Codell Construction, the board received proposals from Trace Creek Construction and Messer Construction.
If interested, they and other firms must resubmit proposals for consideration, which the board will review at a later meeting.
Contact Bob Flynn at bflynn@winchestersun.com.
