Board moves forward with safe room plans

EDMOND — Members of the Edmond school board have green-lighted three more elementary campuses for tornado safe rooms.

On Tuesday, the board approved a bid of $2.62 million from W.L. McNatt & Co., an Oklahoma City construction company. That will start work at Clegern and Russell Doughtery elementary schools.

A smaller elementary, Clyde Howell, had plans approved for its safe room as well. Construction supervisor Steve Herron told the board the Clyde Howell project will go out to bid this fall and have its safe room in place by the spring storm season of 2017.

Clyde Howell, an early childhood center, is home to more than 100 pre-K students.

Older schools in Edmond, built before 1990, were not built with the multipurpose safe rooms that withstand high tornado winds.

In February, Edmond voters passed a $90.6 million school bond issue. That allotted $7 million to start the process of adding the protection at Clyde Howell, Clegern, Russell Doughtery, Ida Freeman, John Ross, Orvis Risner and Sunset elementaries. The shelters double as multipurpose rooms or media centers.

Before the bond package passed, the school district had storm shelter protection for a third of its then23,500 students.

Superintendent Bret Towne said it would take five to six years to make that figure 100 percent.

The board also heard an estimate of needs budget report from Chief Financial Officer Lori Smith. She detailed information provided by an independent auditor. The estimate of needs report is legally due by Sept. 30 and submitted to state and county officials.

Smith summarized budgets from fiscal year 2014-15 and fiscal year projections of 2015-16. Last year the district’s budget, including the general fund, building fund, child nutrition budget and sinking fund, was estimated at $206 million.

This year it’s estimated to top $214 million.

Other highlights from Smith’s report show the district’s property valuation increased from $1.639 billion to $1.749 billion, or 6.7 percent. That figure reflects continued growth in Edmond.

Smith said the payroll expenditure last year was $129 million, of which nearly 66 percent was for certified teachers and 7 percent for administration.

Administration includes building principals and assistant principals.

After looking at budgets topping $200 million, one figure stood out later for board members while approving consent agenda items. That item involved painting the cafeteria at Central Middle School. Board member Jamie Underwood thought the architect’s change order was too pricey. To paint the cafeteria will cost $28,785.

“It seems very high to me,” Underwood said. Agreeing with her was board member Cynthia Benson.

The board considered pulling the item and possibly sending it out for bid.

Underwood tried to get Herron to comment on whether the painting figure was too expensive. He did say it might be on the “high” side but wouldn’t commit either way on the project being too expensive.

In the end, the board opted to approve the $28,785 figure, wanting to complete the project versus possible delays of either putting it out for bid or having district painters attempt the work.