Letter to the Editor: High School Renovation Accounting

Here are the latest figures for the Mt. Lebanon High School renovation (or reconstruction) project:
Total project hardware cost through the end of July, 2015: $86,390,431
Total project cost, including "soft costs," through the end of July, 2015: $102,375,450
(To put this in perspective, the total project cost through July, 2015, represents $3,089.46 for every man, woman, and child in Mt. Lebanon)

During the "Construction Update" of 10 August 2015 it was announced that there were no change orders (CO) in the pipeline for August, 2015. However, that does not mean the end of additional charges. We will likely see more change orders coming next month. Here is the latest accounting of change orders through the end of July, 2015:
Total Spent: $4,545,383.57 (includes refunds)
Average Transaction: $16,772.63 (includes refunds)
Median Transaction: $10,081.00 (includes refunds)
Count: 271 Transactions (total CO's and refunds)

The following table breaks out expenses and refunds separately
Average CO: $20,809.03
Average refund: -$36,762.79
Median CO: $11,064.50
Median refund: -$7,774.00
Total spent on CO's: $5,243,876.57
Total refunds: -$698,493.00
BALANCE: $4,545,383.57
Contingency Fund (FORMERLY $4,276,000.00 – add $538,000.00): $4,814,000.00
Available Balance: $268,616.43
% used: 94.42%

There have been 38 months of change orders, averaging $119,615.36 per month. For the first seven months of 2015 the monthly average is $73,773.57. The District spent all of its original contingency amount as of February of 2015, requiring an infusion of over a half-million dollars of additional cash. While it is true that the amount of money spent on change orders per month is decreasing, the project is not over and there are many unknowns associated with the upcoming building demolition. Despite assurances at the beginning of this project - oft repeated, at least until the late Fall of 2014 - the original contingency fund amount of $4,276,000 was not sufficient to cover the expected additional costs of construction. It remains to be seen whether the additional infusion of $538,000 will see the project through to the end.

Stay tuned.

Richard Gideon

Here's a first!

There are no change orders on the August School Board Agenda! The August 19, 2015 Discussion Meeting Agenda has been posted for Monday's school board meeting. There's always the possibility  that some change orders may be slipped in for the August 17, 2015 meeting, but as of now, no change orders for August.

Other items on the agenda include a mystery agreement with Janice Klein, the finance director for the school district. Jan Klein should have retired years ago, but has been able to hang on by being a master at playing the shell game with stakeholders.

The school board is going to get wild and crazy and spring for the $10 per month plus 2.89% plus $.20 per credit card transaction so that people can charge donations to the school district capital campaign. This item was tabled at last month's meeting.

From a Title 1 Federal grant for $335,896, the school district will use $100 of the $335,896 grant for supplies for the homeless. Their generosity just warms the heart, doesn't it? The bulk of the grant will be spent on two full-time reading specialists at Lincoln and Washington Elementary; and two .5 reading specialists at Lincoln and Washington (Salaries totaling $240,000). Two more grants totaling approximately $129,000 will also be approved this month.

Naming of High School Library - Approval is requested to name the Library located in the High School in honor of Richard J. Madden for his contribution to the education of our students through The Richard J. Madden Foundation. His Foundation has been providing post-secondary scholarship assistance to students graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School since 2003.

And finally, an assessment of the capital campaign is going to be a topic for discussion. Have we reached the end of the quiet phase?

UPMC, Tax Liens, PlanCon I, Salary Increases, Change Orders, and Credit Cards UPDATED

Normally, the School Board has two meetings per month, a construction update/discussion meeting and a business meeting. July is the exception. The School Board introduces and then passes agenda items on the same night. That night is tomorrow. Here are the highlights from the July School Board Meeting Agenda.

List of Liened Taxes: RESOLVED, That the Board approves for public display the list of liened taxes for the 2014 tax year.

****** 

Local Services Tax (LST) Collections – The Municipal Tax Office currently processes the District’s LST collection. The cost of collection has been shared equally with the Municipality at $18,000. We are recommending a contract with Jordan Tax Service to do this collection. Jordan’s fees are 1.8% of sums collected plus a sum of 10% or 20% on collection of delinquent LTS accounts (the fee depending on how soon the tax is paid) plus half of all penalties and fines collected in litigation plus costs of going after delinquencies. We anticipate this contract would cost the District under $1,000 plus the cost to collect delinquencies. The Solicitor’s Office has reviewed the contract and recommends its approval. The Superintendent recommends approval of this contract.

Local Services Tax Collections: RESOLVED, That the Board approves the contract with Jordan Tax Services to collect Local Services Taxes at 1.8% of the collections plus additional cost to collect delinquencies in the form presented.

                                                                          ****** 

Salary Increase for Assistant Superintendents – Annually, the Board is required to review the performance of the Assistant Superintendents: Dr. Ronald Davis, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and Dr. Marybeth Irvin, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education. In accordance with statutory requirements the performance of each has been rated as satisfactory. The recommended salary increases are within the 2.8% average salary increase as previously identified as the average Act 93 administrator increase. The Superintendent recommends the salary increases for satisfactory performance for each Assistant Superintendent.

Salary Increase for Assistant Superintendents: RESOLVED, That the Board rates the performance of the Assistant Superintendents as satisfactory and approves the salary of $139,055 for Dr. Ronald Davis and $122,127 for Dr. Marybeth Irvin effective July 1, 2015.

                                                                          ******

DonorPro Contract: RESOLVED, That the Board approves the DonorPro Merchant Services Integrated Donation Processing contract at $10 per month plus 2.89% plus $.20 per credit card transaction for donations towards the Capital Campaign. 

                                                                          ******

Athletic Trainer Services: RESOLVED, That the Board accepts the proposal from UPMC Sports Medicine for athletic training services at their five year price of $179,000 through June 30, 2020.

The 2010-2015 Agreement is available on my website and below:

On April 19, 2010, the Mt. Lebanon Board of School Directors approved an agreement with UPMC Sports Medicine for athletic training services and physician services for the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years at our cost of $154,000. UPMC will be needing designated parking, which is something that was never indicated by the School Board at any municipal meeting. Besides paying UPMC $154,000, MTLSD will agree to serve as a regional center for UPMC by providing auditorium, gymnasium, classroom or fields to UPMC so that they may have sports medicine and/or sports performance programs up to four times per contracted year. By the way, UPMC will have the right to charge a participation fee to attendees of these programs. We also have to display four UPMC banners throughout the year at various MTLSD sports venues.

UPMC Athletic Training and Physician Services

                                                                              ******

PlanCon Part I Submission – PlanCon Part I is a required submission for State review of the change orders in a construction project. There are two sets of Part I submissions for Board consideration and approval as recommended by our architect. The Superintendent recommends approval of these submissions. 

PlanCon Part I Submission: RESOLVED, That the Board approves submission of PlanCon Part I in the forms presented.

                                                                           ******

And finally:

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project –Change orders for Board approval for the month of July totaling $37,464 from the Contingency and $8,282 from the Capital Budget have been reviewed by the architect, PJ Dick and the District administration: a. GC-116-285 to Nello for $37,464 for roof, window, wall and concrete work, b. ME-34-286 to McKamish for $2,235 for panels, and c. ME 35-287 to McKamish for $8,282 for ductwork for a fume hood. The Superintendent recommends approval of these change orders. 

Change Orders for High School Project: RESOLVED, That the Board approves the following list of change orders for the High School Renovation Project: a. GC-116-285 to Nello for $37,464 for roof, window, wall and concrete work, b. ME-34-286 to McKamish for $2,235 for panels, and c. ME 35-287 to McKamish for $8,282 for ductwork for a fume hood.

Where is the $2,235 for panels coming from? They forgot to tell us.

Update July 24, 2015 6:55 PM According to the PG's Mt. Lebanon high school renovation on track to 2016 completion, the Board decided to table the vote for the credit card services.

District administrators negotiated with DonorPro, a nonprofit company that already provides software for the capital campaign, to incorporate a software addition to process credit card payments. The cost would be $10 per month, plus 2.89 percent of the amount of each transaction and an additional 20 cents for each transaction. 

After board member Dan Remely expressed concerns about security and whether the rate is optimal, the board directed administrators to seek more information about options.

Final Budget, Change Orders, MLEA Contract Extension Discussion Tomorrow UPDATED

The Agenda for the May 11, 2015 School Board meeting includes:

Approval of 2015-2016 Budget – The final budget for the 2015-2016 School year will be discussed with the Board. Final approval will be at the May 17, 2015 meeting.

Change orders for May 2015:

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The change orders for this month total $97,020 from the contingency and $6,620 from insurance claims as follows:  

a. GC-113-279 to Nello for $93,720 for masonry, steel, elevator issues, ceiling and duct work, walls, concrete and curbs,
b. FP-07-280 to Simplex for $3,300 for sprinklers, and
c. IN-13-15 to Nello for $6,620 for weather damage repairs.
The superintendent recommends approval of these change orders

MLEA Contract Extension – The Board will discuss a proposed 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the Mt. Lebanon Education Association.

Update May 12, 2015 6:15 PM
Mt. Lebanon school board announces pact with teachers

The extension calls for salary increases to remain the same as in the current contract, with the exception of teachers at the top seniority step. 

In addition to the already-negotiated increase, teachers will receive an extra $400 the first year, $700 the second year and $900 the third year. 

The extension also calls for increased contributions for health care. Taking those into account, the net additional cost to the district is 3.179 percent, said Lawrence Lebowitz, school board president.  

While the extension reduces the annual number of work days for teachers, from 197.5 to 195, the number of days with students does not change, he said.

Mt. Lebanon SB plans Monday vote on new teacher contract

With most of the language identical to the five-year agreement expiring June 30, the new contract with the Mt. Lebanon Education Association would not include any increases in salaries along the 16 and a half “steps” each teacher follows up the pay scale as he or she gains seniority, except for an increase at the top level of $400 the first year of the contract, $700 the second year and $900 the third year, said Board President Larry Lebowitz.

Mt. Lebanon school board to OK budget, teacher contract

The Mt. Lebanon school board indicated at its May 11 discussion meeting that the board will likely approve a $91 million 2015-16 budget with a .40 millage increase, or $40 more in taxes for a property valued at $100,000. The board also indicated it would approve a new three-year teachers contract at its May 18 voting meeting.

Tuesday's school board meeting - New Location

Because of the holiday weekend, the school board meeting will be held on Tuesday in the High School Large Group Instruction Room, D205. This is a new and permanent location for school board meetings. Those attending the meeting should enter the High School from the South Parking through Entrance B 9. Parking is available in the South Lot which can only be accessed from Cedar Boulevard to Morgan Drive to the South Lot.

Tuesday's Agenda includes:

Audit Services Request for Proposal – Every three years the District requests proposals for audit services for the Independent Certified Public Audit of the District’s finances. This year four companies responded to the request with prices in the first year ranging from $19,500 to $24,000, $20,475 to $24,825 in year two and $21,499 to $25,650 in year three. While all firms have experience in auditing governmental entities and public school districts, only two reference CAFR audits where the school district attained ASBO’s Certificate of Excellence Award. Maher Duessel is the lowest cost of those two firms. Since their work with Mt Lebanon School District has been exceptional in prior years, we are recommending continuing their contract for another three years. The price quoted for their audit including the CAFR work is $23,550 in year one, $24,150 in year two and $24,750 in year three. The superintendent recommends approval of this action. (Does that make it thirty years with the same outside auditor?)

2015-2016 Proposed Final Budget – The proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be discussed at the meeting.

Audit Response - PDE has requested that we submit a written response to the previous state audit (for the 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007 fiscal years that was completed in January of 2013).

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The change orders for the high school project total $47,356 from the Contingency, $4,184 from soft costs, and $7,067 from the Capital Budget. The change orders are as follows:

a. GC-112-275 to Nello for $14,742 for a courtyard wall, 

b. EL-78-276 to Farfield for $19,864 for wiring, lights, elevator changes, gas shut off and smoke dampers, 

c. PL-36-277 to Vrabel for $12,750 for sump pumps, drains and sewer lines, 

d. EL-79-278 to Farfield for $4,184 for cabling, and 

e. EL-80-279 to Farfield for $7,067 for power to fume hoods

Change Orders for March, including a transfer of up to $538,000 of funds

From the March 9, 2015 School Board Meeting Agenda:

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The change orders for the high school project totals $55,207 from the Contingency and $65,938 from soft costs, the Capital Budget and insurance claims. The change orders are as follows: 

a. GC-111-270 to Nello for $31,361 for doors, hardware and partitions, 

b. EL-77-271 to Farfield for $23,846 for conduits, door openers, power changes and light fixtures, 

c. EL-78-272 to Farfield for $4,396 for power and data lines in new library, 

d. GC-112-273 to Nello for $1,173 for glass and door work, 

e. IN-11-13 to Nello for $41,951 for repairs to damaged wood floor, 

f. IN-12-14 to Farfield for $15,758 for repairs for water damage, and 

g. ME-33-274 to McKamish for $2,660 for fume hood. 

Additionally, the Board is asked to permit the transfer of up to $538,000 from the FF&E Soft Cost Budget to the Contingency Budget. The Superintendent recommends approval of these change orders and the budgetary transfer.

ANOTHER consultant for the capital campaign? UPDATED

School board meeting agenda for Monday, January 12, 2015

John, is it in poor taste to complain about ANOTHER consultant for the capital campaign?

Independent Contractor Agreement – This is an agreement with Margaret M. Schmidt to provide consulting services for the capital campaign at a rate of $62.50 per hour, not to exceed $2,000 per month, up to a maximum of 32 hours per month. The Superintendent recommends approval of this agreement. Of course.

What is the number of people working on the capital campaign now, not including Pursuant Ketchum? Are we ever going to get an accounting of the funds?

Also on the agenda is the approval of Jan Klein's fake budget. It's a peach this year.

Preliminary Budget - Act 1 of 2006 requires the Board approve a Preliminary Budget on the State form before February 18, 2015. Since the Board’s February meeting is after that date, we are presenting the budget for approval in January. In order to preserve the Board’s right to apply for exceptions to the Index under Act 1, this budget necessarily exceeds the Index. In April, a Proposed Budget will be presented to the Board for consideration which will not have to have the same millage rate as the one presented for Board consideration this month. By that time, we will know our proposed State funding, preliminary staffing numbers, retirement projections, student 2 course selections and heath care rates. The Preliminary Budget totals $91,880,396 utilizing $750,000 of the fund balance with a millage rate of 23.81 mills, a .66 mill increase. Only a .44 mill increase is allowable under the Act 1 Index. The Superintendent recommends approval of this budget. Of course.

Finally, the January change orders are listed for approval.

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The change orders for the high school project total $68,519 this month with another $50,800 for insurance claims. The change orders are as follows: 

a. GC-109-262 to Nello for $60,909 for door, partition, wall, concrete and masonry work,
b. EL-74-263 to Farfield for $7,610 for piping, lights and safety revisions,
c. IN-09-11 to Farfield for $37,728 for cable repairs, and
d. IN-10-12 to McKamish for $13,072 for HVAC repairs. 

The Superintendent recommends approval of these change orders. Of course. 

Update January 13, 2015 5:38 PM Higher school taxes likely coming to Mt. Lebanon

Late start? UPDATED 2X

It is highly unusual for the Commission Discussion Session to start at 7:00 PM. There must be some hot topics scheduled for Executive Session. Could it be lethal vs. non-lethal deer management discussions? Or how are they going to deal with PETA?

Or is it related to the lawsuit filed against the Commission and Steve Feller? United Police Society of Mt. Lebanon v. Mt. Lebanon Commission; Stephen M. Feller Marcia Taylor should have been fired.

How about hiring a new Public Works Director to replace retiring Tom "I'm too old for this bullshit" Kelley?  http://www.apwa.net/workzone/career/28231/Public-Works-Director-Pennsylvania-Pa-Mt-Lebanon

Will Dave Brumfield try to convince fellow commissioners that Zamagias deserves another extension? (Number 8?)

Since when does "Consideration of Ordinance (Bill No. 21­-14) amending municipal park rules" involve First National Bank? I thought it had to do with the use of guns in our parks.  Speaking of parks, perhaps the commission will be discussing the removal of crumbling toxic rubber tire pavers in Main Park, now that NBC Nightly News continued their investigations concerning tire crumb in playgrounds and artificial turf.

How about how the toxic turf change orders will be funded?

Or will the commissioners be celebrating the end of Kristen Linfante's term as president? I know I will be celebrating.

The deer must die!

Update December 7, 2014 12:59 PM This appeared in today's St. Bernard's Church Bulletin.

Update December 9, 2014 11:32 PM The commission voted 3-2 to extend the Zamagias agreement. A resident asked Dave Brumfield why he voted to extend the agreement and his response was something to the effect of "Do you want to waste $450,000 to buy back the property?" 

Letter to the Editor: HIGH SCHOOL CONTINGENCY FUND

Lebo Citizens reader and Mt. Lebanon resident, Richard Gideon has been following the change orders for quite some time now; keeping spreadsheets, corresponding with Jan Klein, and filing Right To Knows, when necessary. Below is Mr. Gideon's Letter to the Editor concerning the High School Contingency Fund.


As of the end of October, 2014, the high school reconstruction contingency fund was 90.1% depleted.  Here are the numbers:
Change Order (CO) Total:  $3,852,473.57
Change Order Average:     $15,724.38*
Median CO:                         $9,797.00
Number of CO's:  245
*Including refunds
    
Contingency fund beginning balance:  $4,276,000.00
Current Balance (October):                    $423,526.43

Change orders must be vetted and approved, then voted upon by the school board before they are paid.  Therefore, an official accounting by the Mt. Lebanon School District is not available to the public until the month following board approval.  Because the district has shifted payment of various CO's out of the contingency fund and into the Capital Projects fund I wait to request the change order listing until after the business meeting vote.  More on that in a moment.  However, based on the numbers announced by the district, here are the projected totals for November:

Projected CO's (November):         $127,994.00
Projected total:                               $3,980,467.57
Projected Contingency Balance:  $295,532.43
Projected used:  93.09%

The MLSD is currently spending its contingency fund at the rate of $132,843.92/month.  Should this rate of expense continue the district will run out of money by February, 2015.  I should point out that at the construction update on 10 November 2014, Mr. Berkebile stated that the project was "..34 months out of a 41 month project."  He also stated that the project is slated to be completed "..by the end of next year."  This throws some understandable confusion into the numbers.  My estimation, based on the rate of expenditure from confirmed October figures, is that the district will be short approximately $630,000, if the project ends by June, 2015.  However, if the project goes to the end of 2015 then all bets are off.  (If you have not heard the last construction update I highly recommend it; especially the 25 minute mark onward.)

When I requested the October, 2014 contingency fund listing and reconciled it with my own spreadsheet I found a discrepancy of $810.  After combing through the numbers I found the difference was due to a contradiction in a change order for Farfield Electric that occurred back in June, 2013.  The original figure was $28,907, but the October, 2014 CO PDF showed that figure to be $28,097.  At first I thought that the original figure must have been wrong or entered incorrectly back in 2013.  But after a couple of messages to Jan Klein it turns out the number was reported incorrectly on the October, 2014 PDF.  Ms. Klein told me the figure would be changed back to the original amount in the December report.  Therefore the numbers shown above, as of the end of October, are correct.  On this Blog the running total extends though November, and is eight cents higher than the projected figures shown above due to an original figure, early in the project, that had not been rounded.  

Richard Gideon

First change order for turf project done without approval

According to Monday's agenda,

JB 19. Consideration to confirm the approval of a change order for the Wildcat Field turf project.

Vasco Sports Contractor has submitted Change Order No. 1 for additional trench volume to promote infiltration as required by the DEP in the NPDES permit. The change order totals $86,694. The Municipal Manager has approved the work and transferred $80,000 of available funds from the Bower Hill/Segar/Greenhurst signal project into the capital improvement fund account for this project.

Recommended Action: Move to confirm the actions of the Municipal Manager.

Change orders and PlanCon I submission

The agenda for Monday's school board meeting has been posted. It includes 

PlanCon Part I for High School Renovation Project – PlanCon Part I is required to be submitted for change orders on the project. There are two submissions presented for the Board’s approval as completed by Celli Flynn Brennan Architects. The Superintendent recommends approval of these submissions.

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – This month’s list of change orders totals $127,994 from the contingency and $4,561 from soft costs for the high school renovation project. The change orders are as follows:

a. GC-107-252 to Nello for $114,842 for excavation, masonry, walls, supports, beams and steel and brick modifications,

b. EL-70-253 to Farfield for $3,459 for electrical and power changes,  

c. FP-06-254 for SimplexGrinnell for $5,512 for sprinklers,

d. ME-28-255 to McKamish for $4,181 for ductwork, cabinets and fans, and

e. EL-71-256 to Farfield for $4,561 for phone change.

The Superintendent recommends approval of these change orders.

Naming Rights Policy

Revisions to Policy FF, Naming Rights – The Policy Committee is recommending approval of revisions to Policy FF, Naming Rights, at the November 17, 2014 Regular Meeting.

Change Orders for October 2014

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – This month’s list of change orders totals $69,696 for the construction projects, $1,322 for reimbursable changes, $2,232 from the Capital Projects Fund, and $11,581 from soft costs. The change orders are as follows:

a. GC-106-247 to Nello for $35,008 for walls, fencing, bulkheads and sidewalk excavation,

b. EL-67-248 to Farfield for $20,239 for power, data, lighting, fire alarms and safety work,

c. PL-34-249 to Vrabel for $14,449 for piping and hydrant work,

d. IN-07-09 to Nello for $727 to repair glazing,

e. IN-08-10 to Vrabel for $595 for pipe repairs,

f. EL-68-250 to Farfield for $2,232 for PA repairs, and

g. EL-69-251 to Farfield for $11,581 for technology changes.

The Superintendent recommends approval of these change orders.

No PlanCon $ for Lebo UPDATED

The Pittsburgh Business Times reported that Bethel Park will receive $2.5 million in reimbursement through the PlanCon process. State hands out construction reimbursements to local school projects. No mention of Mt. Lebanon receiving any State funding for the high school renovation.

When the cost of the project came back too high, our school board elected to cut corners by considering 197 potential project cost saving reductions. The list represented approximately $14 million in potential savings. How much of this has come back to haunt us? Back on August 8, 2011, I noticed that the school board agreed to eliminate the storm water detention tanks (#17). The rain garden was nixed as well. This had a direct impact on the stormwater situation on Cedar Blvd.  After Cedar Blvd. flooded on August 3, 2014, and then again nine days later, I asked Gateway's Dan Deiseroth if the high school renovation was contributing to the flooding on Cedar. His answer was, "No." I asked Dan if he OK'ed the high school renovation plans. His answer was, "Yes." Gateway approved this cut! This is the same person who said that the fields don't flood; it is merely standing water.

Another item cut was #23 Eliminate need for pyrite remediation based on geotechnical report. We know how that ended up.

A third critical decision made by the school board was #40 Change glass rail at swimming pool to stainless steel airplane cable rail. As we know, that produced a change order. But look how it was handled.

Will we need another change order for the change order? Will we get the nuts and bolts in the next change order?

Lebo Citizens, please review the 197 potential project cost saving reductions and see if more questionable choices resulted in change orders.

Finally, readers have been wondering about the status of the Pursuant Ketchum fundraiser. We are still in the quiet phase, two years later. The September 14, 2014 Personnel Report shows that the full time director of the capital campaign will be on a leave of absence and an interim director has been hired at a daily rate of $300. The interim director's employment is late September 2014 through early January 2015. The present campaign director will be on leave starting October 8, 2014 through the beginning of January 2015.  Is the overlap in employment and buying additional fundraising software really necessary? We invested in a Feasibility Study. Or will we be chalking this up to more contentious decisions made by our school board?

Get the railing fixed!!!! It was first reported November 19, 2013!

Update September 30, 2014 9:44 AM Read the snarky reply from Dr. Steinhauer concerning the pool railing.

From: TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net
To: David Huston
Subject: RE: Missing hardware on new pool balcony railing
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:17:21 +0000

Dear Mr. Huston,

Thank you for contacting the Board with your concerns. Installation of the revised pool railing is not complete. The lack of 2 bolts presents no structural or physical safety issue and will be installed when the project is completed. If this makes you uncomfortable, please stay away from this railing section until it is complete.

We are aware of no safety issues with construction.  

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Mt. Lebanon School District

412-344-2076

What did you do today to improve the life of a child?

Why are residents and taxpayers being treated so poorly in Mt. Lebanon? The superintendent, the school board directors, the commission, and the Public Information Office seem to think we work for them. Mt. Lebanon is a disgrace.

Final Change Orders for Swimming Pool

At the September 9, 2014 Commission meeting, I asked Manager Steve Feller for a list of the change orders related to the Swim Center Renovation. Steve was kind enough to send them to me yesterday.

Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center Pool Renovations Summary

Including the pending change orders, the total amount is around $200,000. Originally estimated to cost $3.3 million, the total cost of the pool upgrade rounded out to be a cool $4.4 million.

Change Orders and Contract for Chief Negotiator

Monday's School Board Meeting Agenda has a special item on the September Agenda:

Contract for Chief Negotiator – The Board will consider the appointment of special counsel for contract negotiations. 

Is this for the Teachers' Contract?

The annual contract for FindWealth software is up for renewal. Are we still in the Quiet Phase? Or have we bailed from fundraising efforts? Did we see anything in the budget in regard to fundraising?

Renewal of Wealth Engine Agreement –This is a renewal of an annual contract with Wealth Engine for Mt. Lebanon School District to use FindWealth software for donor qualification purposes. The cost will be $3,300 for the year. The Superintendent recommends approval of this agreement.

Also on the Agenda is the list of change orders for September:

The list of change orders for September totals $81,911 for the following contractors:  

a. GC-105-244 to Nello for $74,210 for wall patching and fireworking, door revisions and concrete work,

b. EL-66-245 to Farfield for $4,501 for concrete pad removal and light replacement, and

c. ME-27-246 to McKamish for $3,200 for ductwork.

Change Orders for August

From the August 11, 2014 School Board Discussion Meeting Agenda:

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The list of change orders for the month of August totals $74,761 from the contingency fund, $42,847 from the Capital Fund and $27,846 from soft costs. The recommended change orders are as follows:

a. GC-104-239 to Nello for $56,811 for modifications to stairs, bathrooms, ceilings, ducts, posts, doors and floors,

b. EL-64-240 to Farfield for $10,654 for power to fans, building circuits, elevator work, plaster and fiber optic lines,

c. ME-26-241 to McKamish for $7,296 for HVAC and duct work,

d. IN-03-05 to Nello for $3,311 to repair broken glass windows,

e. IN-04-06 to Vrabel for $2,172 is to repair toilet fixtures,

f. IN-05-07 to Farfield for $4,005 to repair lights and power,

g. IN-06-08 to McKaqmish for $3,539 to repair leaks and water heater controls,

h. PL-33-242 to Vrabel for $29,820 to modify railing at pool, and

i. EL-65-243 to Farfield for $27,846 to add power for computers in Library.

The superintendent recommends approval of these change orders.

Way to go, MTLSD. You are now breaking this down into three funds. Which goes to which? The only one I can figure out is soft costs for Item i. Do I start a new total for soft costs? 

School Board Meeting update UPDATED

I have uploaded the podcasts from last night's Construction Update and the Combined School Board meeting. For the purpose of discussion here, I am only going to share some highlights. Please listen or watch the meetings for further information.

The 2013 Liened Properties list was approved for public viewing last night. Bill Cooper asked where the lists are published. President Cappucci said that in the past, the media would publish portions of the list, but that hasn't happened in quite a while. She failed to mention that I have been publishing the lists here. I filed a RTK for the list last Friday.

The Board knows that we are going to run out of the contingency fund. They have moved funds around to allow for flexibility.

The trophy case bid was approved last night for a total of $52,000 after much deliberation. The case is to be 74' long x 8' high x 16"-24" in depth. Larry Lebowitz said that we NEED a trophy case. Dan Remely pointed out many inconsistencies in the bid, yet the Board voted it through with Bill Moorhead and Dan Remely voting NO. It is sad that the bulk of the discussions at any board meeting are about construction. Aren't these people charged with the education of our children?

The artificial turf maintenance agreement was approved. Timmy said that the school district maintains Middle and Wildcat Fields by spreading infill and lining the fields. District costs are currently $129.37 in labor weekly for 30 weeks and infield mix and field dry runs about $1400 for a total for $5731. The School District uses those fields for Baseball. The labor cost for the turf would be $4331. Remely was the only one who voted NO.

The pool railing was brought up again by a resident. 24" is the current height of the railing. It meets all codes. Because of community request, it will be raised to 46" and will be completed before the beginning of the school year.

Update July 22, 2014 9:19 PM Mt. Lebanon School District to maintain turf fields

Timmy recommends approval of turf maintenance agreement UPDATED

Instead of a Board Discussion meeting and a separate Board Regular meeting, the school board has only one meeting in July. This Monday, July 21, the school board will be holding the combined meeting. The agenda has been posted here.

It appears to me that the school district is also guilty of overtaxing us. According to the agenda:

Designation of Fund Balance – Board Policy sets the year end fund balance at 6% of the expenditure budget and designates the remaining fund balance to the Capital Projects Fund, the Other Post Employment Benefit (OPEB) Reserve or to other purposes as determined by the Board. The 2014-15 Budget utilizes $750,000 of the fund balance to mitigate the need for a tax increase. Beyond that, there remains approximately $4.3 million to be designated. One proposal would be to transfer $3 million to the Capital Projects Fund and $1 million to the OPEB reserve leaving $300,000 to be determined at a later point once the audit of the 2013-14 Fiscal Year is complete and any additional funds to be transferred can be finalized. The superintendent recommends approval of this action.

Designation of Fund Balance – RESOLVED, That the Board approves the transfer of $3 million from the designated General Fund - Fund Balance to the Capital Projects Fund and $1 million to the OPEB reserve.

This month, the school board will be awarding the contract for the $74,000 trophy case to Olan Wood Products in the amount of $52,000 as the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications.

What we have all been waiting for is the discussion of the Artificial Turf Maintenance Agreement between the Municipality and the School District.

Artificial Turf Maintenance Agreement – The Municipality is requesting that the work we do to help maintain their current fields now be changed to help maintain their new turf field since we already own the equipment to do the maintenance. Since this is no additional cost to the District and we will continue to be able to use their fields at no cost, I am recommending approval of this agreement.

Artificial Turf Maintenance Agreement: RESOLVED, That the Board approves the agreement with the Municipality for maintenance of their turf field and authorizes the Superintendent to sign the agreement.

I am curious as to how this is going to work with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The CBA does not recognize Municipal Fields as approved work sites. According to the Zipper Clause, the Association has to agree to any changes with the District.

Finally, the change orders for July total $242,696 bringing the total to $3,658,409.65.

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – Change orders for Board approval for the month of July totaling $242,696 have been reviewed by the architect, PJ Dick and the District administration:
a. GC-103-235 to Nello for $158,947 for masonry, doors, steel, beams, window blocking, fire rating, building dimensional discrepancy, stairs, handrails, cooling towers and slab changes,
b. PL-32-236 to Vrabel for $34,531 for storm and sanitary changes and credits for drains and piping,
c. EL-63-237 to Farfield for $42,132 for lighting modifications, cabling, sound system devices, speaker clusters in auditorium, heat detectors and power changes, and
d. ME-25-238 to McKamish for $11,086 for return grills and duct modifications. 

Update July 18, 2014  6:17 PM Further clarification concerning School District field maintenance of Municipal fields per Timmy's recommendation.

From: Tom Kelley [mailto:tkelley@mtlebanon.org]
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2014 3:15 PM
To: Nick M.
Subject: Re: fields 

No at this time we do all the work on our fields and the school district maintains their own. Once the synthetic turf is placed at the Wildcat and Middle field area then the school district will maintain the field surface (clean and groom the synthetic turf). We will continue to maintain all of our grass fields with no help from the school district.

On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 2:50 PM, Nick M. wrote:

Hi Tom, 

Can you please clarify something for me. 

Is the school district currently doing any maintenance work on any municipal fields? 

The reason I ask is because in the school board agenda for next Monday it states, 

“The Municipality is requesting that the work we do to help maintain their current fields now be changed to help maintain their new turf field since we already own the equipment to do the maintenance.” 

What work is the school district already doing to help maintain their (municipal) current fields. 

Can you please clarify this for me. 

Thank you Tom, 

Nick M.

Change Orders for June

Change orders for the month of June:

5. Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – Change orders for Board Approval for the month of June total $265,923 with $258,927 allocated from the Contingency Budget and $10,118 from the Capital Project Budget as follows:

a. GC-101-229 to Nello for $95,000 for gym floor and scheduling changes,

b. GC-102-230 to Nello for $75,768 for building, wall, floor, door and structure revisions,

c. PL-31-231 to Vrabel for $20,849 for water line rerouting and garbage disposal connections,

d. EL-62-232 to Farfield for $32,909 for raceways, zone boxes, breakers, dampers and data connections,

e. ME-24-233 to McKamish for $31,279 for HVAC, vent, ductwork and fan changes, and

f. CW-03-234 to Reed for $10,118 for additional countertops funded from Capital Budget.

Word on the street is that the high school project will be completed Fall 2015. We'll see about that. We were promised that Hotel Tyvek was definitely opening July 1. That has been moved [again] to September 1.

Finally, I hear that the Rifle Range will be showing up shortly as a $500,000 capital project.

Change orders for May 2014

The Agenda for the May 12, 2014 School Board Meeting has been published.

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The following change orders are presented for Board consideration. All the change orders listed below totaling $104,477 have been reviewed by the architect, PJ Dick and the District administration.

a. GC-100-225 to Nello for $74,520 for floor, wall, structure and ceiling work,

b. PL-30-226 to Vrabel for $16,793 for drain, water and storm lines and heater repairs,

c. EL-61-227 to Farfield for $873 for cable, fire alarm, card reader and gas resets, and

d. ME-23-228 to McKamish for $12,291 for diffusers, ducts and coils.