Springfield sets hearing on new high school
SPRINGFIELD » The high school master plan continues to move forward with action in several areas. The board announced it would hold what is termed an Act 34 Hearing, which will review cost projections and other details as the project progresses.
The hearing is scheduled to begin 7 p.m., April 11 in the board room, and will include the school board and district representatives as well as the architect, said Executive Director Don Mooney. The underlying purpose of the meeting, mandated by the state Department of Education, is to monitor the level of costs with respect to the state’s Plan Con system. That program, for which the district qualifies with the high school master plan, results in substantial reimbursements upon completion of a new structure.
The meeting is open to members of the public who may participate if desired. As an official hearing, all testimony will be recorded by a court reporter.
The board also approved proposals on two dimensions as work accelerates. The CMT Services Group will execute bedrock exploration and testing and submit geotechnical report revisions. Mooney said the CMT work is to determine the amount of rock which may be encountered beneath the footprint of the new building. Hours will be invoiced by CMT with the cost not to exceed $20,620.
The second contract is a first-time use of technology for construction project document sharing and management. The district will license use of Oracle software for submittal exchange that will substantially, if not totally, electronically exchange blueprints, construction and material orders and most business previously done by paper. The license term is 50 months at a cost of $35,100.
School director Kevin Keenan, chair of the Facilities Committee, said this type of document handling is industry standard for major construction projects.
“There are true efficiencies and no delay on information transfer when the time element is very important,” said Keenan.
While the project architect will oversee documentation, all critical shareholders will be able to access any information needed. Keenan said this eliminates producing and mailing multiple sets of documents, which adds additional time and cost.
In other finance business, not related to the master plan, the board approved a real estate tax settlement for a commercial property at 601 Baltimore Pike. The settlement will result in an aggregate annual tax dollar increase of $70,764 for the 2017 and 2018 tax years. Mooney noted the new assessed value of the property will mean about a $35,000 increase in taxes moving forward.
The board approved its own calendar with the reduction of two monthly meetings to a single session (still scheduled for the fourth Thursday of each month, with exceptions noted if needed).
The second Tuesday meeting will, instead, provide board members with time for committee meetings and, as noted by President Jennifer Lofland, “external facing” of being out in the community. The new schedule will begin with the August 2018 meeting.