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Five of the change orders for the Warsaw Community High School construction project presented to the Warsaw School Board were unanimously approved Friday at a special meeting.
The sixth change order will be discussed at the board's May 16 regular meeting so Marc Garrett, construction manager with Construction Control Inc., can gather more information on the change order.
Dean Illingworth, architect with Schmidt Associates, Indianapolis, explained each change order to the school board.
The first change order was for additional filter fabric and rip rap at the parking area and ditch. Illingworth said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources required additional material be installed for filtering rain water run off from the construction site before any other work was done. The change is an increase of $32,659.83.
Board member Chuck Sauders asked board member Dan Robinson, owner of a construction company, if it was common practice for the state to come in and order changes.
"A qualified yes," said Robinson.
The second change order was for the installation of metal form deck in three rooms at the auditorium. There had been a previous change order in which deck was deleted, but too much of it was taken out, said Illingworth. This change order replaces a portion of that for a cost of $2,920.
The third change order modifies the structural steel in the fitness room to delete three 8-inch columns and changes other steel beams and joists. The cost for the structural changes is $25,848.06, but through a review of the soil bearing capacity, the original footer design was able to be used to save money.
The fourth change order was not approved Friday because of concerns from board member Dan Robinson.
Illingworth said the change order was to furnish and install metal roof decking at the auditorium.
The contractor looked at the structural drawing for the auditorium, which did not show the overhang for the roof like the architectural drawing does. Since the overhang was not taken into account, Illingworth said more was needed. Robinson questioned why the contractor did not look at the architectural drawing and see the needed overhang. Then Robinson questioned why the erection of the decking was so much at $3 per square foot. Mary Ellen Rudisel-Jordan of Scearce Rudisel Architects said the reason was because it was exterior work performed high up on special scaffolding.
"This one puzzles me a lot," said Robinson.
The fifth change order was a credit to void an earlier change order. The architect disputed a claim by a contractor and was able to delete a request for more money. The change order for the duct work is a deduction of $1,655.
Finally, the sixth change order, Illingworth said, was for an aisle way to be added to the balcony of the auditorium for the ease of egress. Eighteen seats were removed and steel plates embedded for the attachment of a new guardrail. The additional cost is $2,157.65.
After the five change orders were approved, Warsaw chief financial officer Kevin Scott presented the school board with a draft copy of how the change orders could be approved in the future. In the information he gathered from other school corporations, a resolution could be approved to allow a chosen individual to approve change orders as the board's representative to a certain dollar amount. The person and amount can be determined by the school board. The school board will discuss the matter further at their May 16 meeting.
According to a April 19 Times-Union story, a state audit of Warsaw Community Schools' finances raised questions about how the school corporation has been handling change orders for the high school construction project.
State auditors said the change orders to that point had not been approved by the school board, as required by state law.
Members of the Warsaw School Board present Friday were Cathy J. Folk, Chuck Sauders, Gene England, Ronald Yeiter, Dan Robinson and Tammy Dalton. Not present was Deb Wiggins.
