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It took a little kick from Tammy Dalton, Warsaw School Board member, Monday to get the board to take action on a resolution regarding change orders for the high school renovation project.
She told the other board members they needed to come to a resolution and "stop dragging our feet." She made a motion to allow board member Dan Robinson and Warsaw Schools maintenance director Greg Schroeder to approve change orders up to $15,000. Any change orders over that amount must be brought before the full school board. The motion was approved unanimously.
At a special board meeting April 29, Warsaw chief financial officer Kevin Scott presented the school board with a draft copy of a resolution that would authorize and direct a person of the board's choice to approve change orders up to a limit of $25,000. The amount also could be determined by the school board.
Monday, Robinson said he did not want one person to have the authority to approve the change orders. Scott said if more than one person met to approve the change orders, a 48-hours notice had to be posted because it would be a committee of the school board. Robinson said three board members would not make a majority of the board.
"I have a problem giving up that which state statue says we are to oversee," said Deb Wiggins, board member. She said the timing is poor.
When asked how many change orders the project has had to date, construction manager Marc Garrett said there were roughly 98 - some approved, some pending. Wiggins asked if the school board had approved all the change orders to date. Scott said, "We're not going back, we're going forward" with the resolution.
Wiggins suggested the board meet more often, maybe every other week, and approve the change orders. Cathy Folk, board member, asked on the change orders already paid and done, what would be the school board's recourse if they didn't approve them?
Wiggins said she didn't approve of one person and one board member approving the change orders.
Folk and Dalton agreed that the work needs to be done and there could be delays caused by contractors waiting for the approval of change orders.
Delays mean more cost, they said.
Robinson said if the change orders are the fault of the contractors, it's their problem to meet the deadlines, not the board's.
Wiggins made a motion for the full board to meet in special meetings and approve the change orders and then readdress the problem of change orders at the end of the summer.
Robinson provided the second to the motion. Dalton questioned whether or not the board would be able to have a quorum every time since the summer is approaching. Garrett said the meetings would have to be weekly.
WCHS Principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield said a change order may be as simple as a bolt no longer available. The change orders are not to make the building any larger or better, but to complete the work. The project already is on a tight schedule to complete the cafeteria by fall so students won't have to eat in the gym.
Garrett said having the full board approve the change orders is not efficient and not extremely practical. If a change is needed, the construction crew can stand back and look at it a week while they await approval from the board, which will push the schedule back.
Architect Mary Ellen Rudisel-Jordan said her suggestion is the board select one person to make the decisions on the change orders within a certain dollar amount. Over that amount, the full board could approve them.
Rudisel-Jordan said one change could include change orders for earthwork, electrical, paving or other contractors in it. "So one change can include five change orders," she said.
Wiggins withdrew her motion. Board president Ron Yeiter suggested having a couple board members meet with the construction company representatives to hammer out a resolution on approving the change orders. But then Dalton made her motion and the board agreed with it.
According to an 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.
Warsaw Community School Corporation board members include Dalton, Folk, Chuck Sauders, Gene England, Robinson, Deb Wiggins and Yeiter.
