Officials push school fixes

Commission eyes ‘safety and security’ as priority after ‘to-do’ list remains incomplete

PEMBROKE PINES — City Commissioners have chided several Broward School Board officials for not making major renovations at Pasadena Lakes Elementary School before the start of the school year.

Some fixes have been on district’s “todo” list for months, but there is nothing to show for it, the commissioners said during a meeting last week. Now, with school back in session, city officials want those deficiencies corrected.

Commissioners Iris Siple and Jay Schwartz told school district chief facilities officer Leo Bobadilla to evaulate how work is being parceled out.

“A track got resurfaced...I have a little bit of an issue with how things are being prioritized,” Siple said. “I’m asking you all to go back and look at your list and revamp your list and put more priority towards safety and security foremost.”

Bobadilla said the district is fast-tracking projects that shore up security by establishing a single secure point of entry at schools. He said the district had more than 700 employees working at all the schools in Broward County during the summer months, focusing on safety and security.

Schwartz said the safety and health of students demands that the problems be taken care of immediately.

“Pasadena Lakes did not have air conditioning first day of school last year, the roof has not been replaced since I think the Gerald Ford administration...they have portable units and they have mold,” he said. “This city commission is tired of having to answer for the administration of the school board.”

Nadine Drew, a spokeswoman for the district, said the school does not currently have any mold problems, that maintenence teams have been addressing the immediate needs of the school, and that the school has a single point of entry in place.

Drew said that the school is scheduled for a major renovation project next year that includes roof replacement, installation of rooftop air conditioning units and fire sprinklers. Those projects are part of the Broward County School Board’s $800 million bond program to improve or replace decaying facilities and outdated technology.

“This is the same project that was promised before the start of the 2015-2016 school year,” Schwartz said.