The Mt. Lebanon school board wants one more expert to weigh in on its high school renovation project before it goes out to bid, pushing the project back by a week.
Read more: Mt. Lebanon High School renovation proposal delayed - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_723207.html#ixzz1EFvFlBvv
7 comments:
On 30-OCT-2009, Kristen Linfante typed, "I can only assume that worries about further delay stem from the fact that community members are fed up with the already terrible track record the board holds for 'timeliness'." David Huston
On 12-OCT-2010, Nancy Tashman wrote, "The Mt. Lebanon high school project needs to go to bid as soon as possible in order to take advantage of these favorable bidding conditions. Any delay may result in losing this historically favorable construction climate." David Huston
This appears to be an indication that the District has very little confidence or trust in the heretofore unquestioned "team" they have retained....$6+ million for the architects, $3.5 for the CM....amazing...a *belt & suspenders* deal on the taxpayers dime..upwards of $70,000 in added interest cost due to the unscheduled delay before they put the project out to bid, plus the added fees for the *second guesser*.
Or, maybe they're ever so close to the cost limitations over which the alternate deduct triggers would have to pulled and/or additional Act 34 hearings or an electoral referendum would be in the cards ?
Bill Lewis
Very likely an underlying reason for this is the fear & likelyhood of...dare I utter it...CHANGE ORDERS...a reality and anathema to owners in any development, particularly where renovations are included.
Contractors know and count on this. There are always errors & omissions in the drawings & bid documents, and unknown conditions and hazards associated with a site and existing structures, even weather, etc.. And the "team" has already used most of the design contingency built into the cost estimates.
Change orders are where the contractors make their real profits, the *bread & butter*. They typically bid low on large, difficult and lengthy projects and then cofront the architects/owners with *problems* along the way.
Few recall the elementary school renovations circa 2003-2006. That was a project funded at $44 million that ended up costing $52 million. There were change orders galore....the then Super. Wilson was caught by the PA Auditor General (not the then SB) as personally approving collectively over $1 million in change orders, each of which had been just under $10,000...above which the law required SB approval ! The Finance Director was a party in the change order process.
The costs above the $44 million came from the proceeds of a 2003 bond issue for $50 million, $5 million of which was intended for a new swimming pool that did not get built where the new athletic Taj Mahal is scheduled to reside, and $1 million for a stadium renovation which also did not happen. The balance to fund cost overruns came from interest earned on bond proceeds during the 3+ year project.
"If you don't learn from history, you might be doomed to repeat it".
Bill Lewis
P.S. Very few also recall that the 2003 $50 million bond issue was a "wrapped" issue in order to minimize and disguise the initial millage impact of the renovation project. The total debt service required to pay off the $50 million issue was $103 million. Because the issue was "wrapped", the $53 million in interest cost was $10 million MORE THAN would have been required had serial, level conventional bonds been issued ! How about that boys & girls...always place unquestioning faith and trust in your SB and Administration ? You have to either be kidding or just plain stupid if you believe that !
I received two anonymous posts. Please resubmit with your name. Thanks.
Elaine
From the performance of the "team" on the high school project the school board has delayed the project a week while they employ a "second-guesser" to evaluate the ten-year project in a week.
I hope they are not paying another fee to a consultant when the Pa. Dept. of Education corrected their PlanCon documents for free.
John Ewing
John, you know that the school board has never met a fee that they didn't like. Undoubtably just more wasted money.
Joe Wertheim
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