The capital project list is on the last 2 pages of the document. It appears only items 1 - 67 are recommended for approval.
Up to this point, I had not been able to complete the list of capital projects for the high school located on the sidebar of this blog.
High school capital projects adding up to $916,000 include:
- $400,000 Install antenna and repeaters to improve cell phone coverage
- $265,000 Auditorium sound system
- $74,000 Trophy Case for Hall of Champions
- $82,000 for 60 cafeteria tables and 600 chairs (document shows $102,000)
- $55,000 Auditorium stage curtains
- $40,000 replace broken and worn out furniture
Update February 25, 2014 11:40 AM At 1:51:32 of the podcast from last night's school board meeting shows an attempt from Dan Remely to amend the Capital Projects list by removing the $74,000 Trophy Case item. The vote went as followed:
Yes (To Remove Trophy Case from list) No (Keep as is)
Bill Cooper Mary Birks
Scott Goldman Ed Kubit
Bill Moorhead Larry Lebowitz
Dan Remely Mike Riemer
Elaine Cappucci
Amendment failed.
22 comments:
Is the 74 K the lowest acceptable bid for the trophy case? Does the board not ever consider returning taxes to the rightful owners, the taxpayers. Even if this money was to appear from the fund raising camapign, would it not be more appropriate to use the proceeds from the funds campaign to reduce the tax burden. This leads to a question, has the fund rasing campaign brought in enough contributions to cover the expenses of the campaign?
OK folks be honest now, as you viewed the Celli renderings of the high school renovation did you or did you not believe the cafeteria/center court furniture and fixtures were included in the $133+ million price tag?
How about the new style desks in those 21st century classrooms.
Did anyone imagine we were renovate the auditorium without a sound system or a curtain?
With this group of school directors, never assume anything. As they say... "assuming only makes an Ass out of U and Me. Makes you a helluva lot poorer too.
http://www.mtlsd.org/highschoolrenovation/centercourt.asp
On the Capital Campaign, you can be pretty sure if they had some big $$$ donations we'd be hearing about it.
That's part of the strategy, to set a precident for giving and convey that it is a worthwhile cause and you should feel guilty for not writing a huge check.
I suspect the campaign is underwater.
Why oh why in the hell wont the state investigate these crooks?
4:12-- Teachers Union!!!
2:37 PM, we're in the quiet stage. Have we entered Year 2 of the quiet stage yet? Considering we were told a year ago that the grievance determination was due any time now, MTLSD must be following the TERC calendar.
Elaine
Elaine:
Nobody runs a stealth fundraiser once it has been announced to the public!
From Fundraiser Basics.
http://www.fundraiserbasic.com/library/fruniv/108-capital-campaign-phases-part-1.html
Capital campaign phases
by Kim Klein
"By the time a capital campaign is announced to the general public, a third to a half or even more of the actual campaign has actually been completed. What's been going on before then? Here are the phases of a typical capital campaign:
The Quiet Phase
This is, in a sense, when the campaign itself begins. In this phase you will form any committees you need, solicit the top 8-10 lead gifts, and make any final adjustments to your case. Most groups are able to move through this phase in six to nine months, but it can take a year or more. The point of this phase is to raise 50-60% of the goal before announcing the campaign to the public. Once the campaign is announced, it already has a lot of momentum and there is a great deal of certainty that it will succeed. In a way, the quiet phase is your last chance to get out of the campaign without any egg on your face."
Um, didn't we already announce the campaign to the public?????? So where's the 50%-60%????
It must have started, we hired a Campaign Coordinator.
#19 on the list is needed due to current renovation plans of the HS. $98,000 estimate! Seems like a bargain compared to a couple of trophy cases.
Interesting projections in the Capital Projects document.
First item of interest are the enrollment projections.
They are dropping and dropping rather rapidly.
So here's the question. Since payroll is by far the largest budget item, as enrollments decline will we see a corresponding drop in staff and therfore payroll?
Coincidently, these enrollment figures should play a prominent roll in determining whether the municipality needs more youth sports fields!
If there are going to be fewer kids why do we need more fields or slots?
Another item of interest, read South Fayette's discussion on adding school space due to a growing student population in the last Almanac.
Our new high school doesn't seem to be attracting new home buyers like the open land, lower taxes and business expansion is in S.F.
aren't some of these items taken from the cost of the renovation as "savings" only now to reappear as unrelated "capital projects"? hmmm, maybe these items (particularly those related to the theatre (replacement of which was "scrapped" - supposedly) ought to be accounted for where they belong--in the "renovation" cost overrun column?
Fed Up Still
if only Scott Walker would annex Lebo to Wisconsin--our children might get a sound education to equip them to compete in the 21st Century
6:14 This is the NEW Mt Lebanon run by democrats that are more than happy to steal your last dime! Unions now rule.
3:40, Feller, Morgans, Milliron are not union members.
On the school board Kubit, Remely, and that other guy that has seemed to lose his voice are republicans.
If the blame can be dumped on democrats what does that say about the MTL republican party.
They're so with it they still have Sue Rose listed as a school board member.
I don't know what the alternatives are, but pretty sure Ds or Rs aren't it.
Plus, we have a Republican governor preaching that he's going to keep a watchful eye over spending and at the same time send bigger bushels of money to a school district that is buying $74,000 trophy cases and supporting environmentally unsafe turf projects.
Yeah, republicans are the answer to free spending democrats. Riiiiigggggghhhhtttttt.
In the governor's case, 3:40 is correct. He is cowtowing to the the biggest and most influential union in the state.
Correction - kowtowing not cowtowing.
Could it be that these items are showing up as capital projects because putting them through as change orders will force a referenfum on the uncompleted project?
Does anyone know the math on exactly when a referendum would be mandatory.
Perhaps our governor or state reps, that think education needs more money can tell us what the limit is before taxpayers get the opportunity to say " enough is enough already!"
We have several comments on the trophy case at $74,000 but nobody mentioned:
1) Antenna for cell phone reception $400,000
2) Turf upper athletic field $1,000,000 – 8 year life
3) Rifle range $500,000
4) Air conditioning $4,500,000
5) Repairs to TEN buildings even though Dr. Steinhauer said we would close one of them.
Who said we have a tight budget?
Did we re-elect her president?
You win, 7:42 PM!! You found the Rock Pile turf! Yes, in two years the school district will be putting in artificial turf on the high school practice field a.k.a. The Rock Pile in 2016. This will be a million dollar project every eight years.
Elaine
Years ago the Teachers Union came out and said they were going to run their family members and friends for School Board and they have. When has our School Board NOT favored the teachers? Look at this mess with the High School. Only a moron could NOT see that the School Board left off expensive items so to keep the project away from the voters. Hopefully a former School Board member will come clean and save themselves. Only a fool believes that the State isn't looking into this mess.
7:05 A. M., Do you really believe that a bunch of regulators from Harrisburg, who are more interested in their jobs and re-election, could do a better job of running the Mount Lebanon School District than Dr. Steinhauer & Co. can?
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