MINUTES

LITCHFIELD SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE

LITCHFIELD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL LIBRARY

September 15, 2005

 

 

A meeting of the Litchfield School Building Committee was held on Thursday, September 15, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. in the Litchfield Intermediate School Library.

 

Present were: Jack Healy, Chairman, Mac Bramley, Gary Waugh, Lynn Chapman and John Mullin.

 

Also Present: Leo Paul, First Selectman, Superintendent Don Vita; BOE Members Diane Knox and Don Falcetti;  Peg Perusse, Business Manager, Brooks Fischer of HSN; Bruce Walpole of O & G; Cynthia Politano, Finance Director, Ed Fabbri, Public and the Press.  

 

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Jack Healy.

 

Approval of Minutes

Motion was made by Mac Bramley to table the approval of the September 1, 2005 minutes due lack of quorum from the previous meeting, seconded by Jeff Zullo.

Motion Carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions

 

Public Participation

Bill Deacon – The BC has a renovation planned for the LHS Gymnasium.  I would like to see an expansion.  I read this morning that a gym with currently 600 seats could be a gym of 372 seats.

Bill Dranginis – Is there still space for the Booster Club?

Jack Healy – Brooks [Fischer] is going to talk about seating in the Gymnasium tonight.

 

Communication

Gary Waugh – I was asked by an individual about when the project goes to bid, would any portion of the contractors be non-union?

Bruce Walpole – Its State prevailing wage rates; they have to be State qualified, but they don’t have to be union.

Gary Waugh – In a typical job is there a percentage of the project that goes to non-union contractors?

Bruce Walpole – Typically 60% non-union and 40% union.

Gary Waugh – This individual seemed to be under the impression that having a percentage of non-union to be advantageous.

Bruce Walpole – The benefit package of union workers gives the non-union contractor a slight edge.   The prevailing wage rate in Connecticut, in most cases, is a union rate.   What is important is to get the competitive bids.

Mac Bramley – The prevailing wage rate in Connecticut and union scale is almost identical.   I understand what that individual is asking.  There is no way to get around it because we’re getting the low bidder.

 

Jack Healy – We all received an email regarding STC Agenda on the 20Th of September.  We are number 19 on the Agenda.

Lynn Chapman – I question whether Litchfield was on schedule for approval.   The email I read looks instead like it’s a presentation.

Tim Callahan – I have been told it will be approved.

 

Jack Healy – We had a meeting with O & G.  Out task was to strategize on add and deduct alternates.   Stacey and I met with Dr. Vita and talked about FF&E, the technology budget and gymnasium seating.  We are also planning a ground breaking ceremony for the 6TH or 7Th of October.

 

Gary Waugh – Once bid packages come back, the BOE would like to have a joint meeting.

 

Finance Subcommittee

Mac Bramley

1.         Invoice for $450.00 for Stansfield Environmental Services, the soil engineer, attributed to LHS $297.00 and LIS $153.00.

Motion made by Mac Bramley to authorize payment to Stansfield Environmental Services in the amount of $450.00, seconded by Lynn Chapman.

Motion Carried.   All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

2.                HSN – We can hold this until next meeting.

 

3.                Invoice $18,500.00 for INCOR Group less hold back of $1,387.50 totaling $17,112.50 amount due.

Motion made by Mac Bramley to authorize payment to INCOR Group in the amount of $17,112.50, seconded by Gary Waugh.

Motion Carried.   All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Architect Update

Tim Callahan discussed potential add/deduct alternates including Alternates Removed from Project, Approved Alternates, Potential Deduct Alternates, Potential Add Alternates and Potential Future Redesign Alternates.   (The Future Redesign Alternates will only be considered if there is a drastic cut needed.)

 

Mac Bramley – I would like to reserve comments on all of this until we here about the situation with the Gymnasium.

 

Brooks Fischer – The Current bleachers are not up to code.  Since this is the only Gym at LHS, it has to be handicap accessible.   We calculated the current bleacher with aisles and handicap seating and it would then only fit 542 seats.  The Athletic Director as reviewed the documents and revisions with the gym teachers and coaches.   These are the options:

 

Runoff from Lockers to Court                Bleachers to Court                    Total Seating Capacity

 

            8.8 feet                                                 9.9 feet                                                 372

 

            8.8 feet                                                 7.9 feet                                                 424

 

            6.8 feet                                                 7.9 feet                                                 476

 

            5.8 feet                                                 6.9 feet                                                 528

 

            4.8 feet                                                 5.9 feet                                                 580

 

Currently there is approximately 4.0 feet between Lockers and Court and 3.0 feet between Bleachers and Court.    The National Association of High School Gyms has a three foot minimum requirement.   The decision is how much run off do you want.

 

Mac Bramley – Is the handicap seating included in the setback from the bleachers?

Brooks Fischer – Wheelchair seating is set in the bleachers.

Dr. Vita – sounds like the last two options are reasonable.

Brooks Fischer – The Bleachers are wood.

Jack Healy – It looks like we can get to 580 seats and still meet code.

Bill Deacon – Can someone put an add alternate to blow out the end wall and add seating that way?

Brooks Fischer – The new 7-8 grade wing comes out diagonally.

Mac Bramley – There comes a point when we’re building a project for the sake of building a project.

 

Lynn Chapman – The curtain rigging was taken down over a month ago.  Why didn’t the BOE replace it?

Peg Perusse – It has to be taken down, it was a fire hazard.  We didn’t replace it because it was in the building project.

Gary Waugh – If we don’t replace it, it’s not a functioning auditorium.

Tim Callahan – Absolutely right, it would have to go to capital improvement.

Peg Perusse – Maurice [Steinberg] is planning the [fall musical] performance to be done without it.

Bruce Walpole – We are all concerned about these deduct alternates.  We have to take bids and see what happens.

Jack Healy – The intent is that we are not going to select all deduct alternates.  If the budget goes over, we go through the list and select what is needed.

Mac Bramley – Are we going about this the right way?  Is it not time that we put an amount on what we need to cut?  How about an alternate to ask for more money?

Bill Dranginis – Let’s say we add $5M to the project; would we have to go back to the State?

Tim Callahan – No, we would just submit a budget based on what we have.  But it would have to go to referendum.

Mac Bramley – Would we get reimbursement if we spend over 10% of the original cost?

Tim Callahan – Reimbursement is based on square footage.

Peg Perusse – I forwarded an email from David Wedge.  Basically the State is prepared to waive the requirements if we go over the 10% or whatever needs to be done.

Bill Dranginis – I just didn’t know whether or not it would change the project; apparently not.

 

Gary Waugh and Lynn Chapman questioned the Architect and Tim Breslin about the volume of faculty work space planned and whether it is necessary.

Tim Callahan – I’ll look at it.  It is consistent with the Ed Specs.

Gary Waugh – Is the philosophy that there will be an office space for faculty outside of their classrooms?

Tim Breslin – Yes, an office for either every academic area or two areas.

Lynn Chapman – I went through the Ed Specs.  It seems we lost two classrooms and visiting locker rooms.  It seems like a lot of space.  Can some the space be doubled up?

Jack Healy – Can Tim Callahan go through this with Dr. Vita and Tim Breslin?

 

Jack Healy – Dr. Vita need a list of budget sheets for FF&E and Technology.

 

Technology Update – None

 

Future Agenda Items

Jack Healy – Schedule; we will be one schedule as long as we get approval on the 20TH.  We will go to bid the end of September and bids will be in the second week of November.

 

Lynn Chapman – Have you had experience with grant money?  I have been researching Breuer.  A woman at Syracuse University believes there is one other Gym like ours in the country.  She is doing research and trying to get grant money.   She believes our chance of getting grant money is good.   I am also looking for landscaping grants for the courtyard.

Mac Bramley – There are a lot of people who need money more than this miserly town of Litchfield.

 

Congratulations to Brooks on his marriage.

 

Motion was made by Lynn Chapman to adjourn at 8:30 PM, seconded by John Mullin.

Motion Carried.   All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Kelli L. Green, Recorder