MINUTES

LITCHFIELD SCHOOLS BUILDING COMMITTEE

LITCHFIELD CENTER SCHOOL LIBRARY

JULY 6, 2006

Present: Bill Buckley, Jeff Zullo, Gary Waugh, Lynn Chapman, Jack Healey, Stacie Kavle, Kent Gilyard and Mac Bramley

Also Present: Superintendent Dom Vita; Peg Perusse, School Business Manager; Louis Rosenblatt, O & G Project Manager and Melissa Corey of O&G; Frank Simone, Don Falcetti, Wayne Shuhi, of the Board of Education; Peter Bowman and Richard Munday of HSN; Diane Knox; Tim Breslin.

Jack Healy called the meeting to order @ 7:00 pm

A site walk of LHS and LIS followed

Jack Healy reconvened the meeting at the Litchfield Center School Library at 8:25PM.

Gary Waugh Motioned to approve the minutes, as corrected, of the June 15, 2006 meeting, seconded by Lynn Chapman.

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

Board of Finance member Jeff Zullo reported that they are pleased with progress, schedule and cost.

Jack Healy met with BOE Facilities Committee and talked about colors and furniture, fixtures and electrical.  There is a continuous dialog between himself, the administration and BOE.

Mac Bramley announced that he is incapable of handling Treasurer and Chair of Finance Subcommittee while working full time. Jeff Zullo volunteered for the positions.

Mac Bramley motioned to nominate Jeff Zullo as Treasurer and Chairman of Finance Subcommittee - Seconded by Gary Waugh.

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

A discussion followed about the time the Finance Subcommittee should meet.   It was agreed that they will meet at 6:30PM prior to every regular meeting.  Jeff Zullo requested that recorder automatically issuing and agenda for a 6:30PM meeting prior to every regular BC meeting.

Bill Buckley motioned to approve and pay Middle School and High School bills, which include the following invoices:

For a total amount of 704,005.23- Seconded by Jeff Zullo

Bill Buckley - In past we’ve gone through every one of theses invoices. After a brief discussion of some of the individual bills, Motion Carried.   All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

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Bill Buckley motioned to approve and pay LIS bills, which include the following invoices:

For a total amount $349,576.84- Seconded by Jeff Zullo.

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

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Bill Buckley - I don’t see any invoices from the Town of Litchfield.

Peg Perusse - We didn’t receive it yet.

Technology
Dom Vita – Adrienne Longobucco is on vacation so she will give a report at the next meeting.   The technology committee has been discussing the merits of an analog system versus a digital system

Wayne Shuhi - According to minutes of the BC meeting, the Ed Specs were revised and both the BOE and BC approved that we would go with an Analog System.

Dom Vita- At the next meeting we will have costs for analog/digital combination.

Jeff Zullo - We already made a decision on this

Louis Rosenblatt - We can put something together about how to accommodate either system.

Mac Bramley - Are the two systems interchangeable?

Dom Vita - It’s my understanding that yes they are.

Wayne Shuhi- On one hand I would love to see digital system in the building, on the other hand I am trying to honor what the BC and BOE voted on.

Louis Rosenblatt - We should definitely make a decision by next meeting, no later.

Bill Buckley - I think we should give them direction tonight.

Dom Vita - Easiest thing to do is put in an analog system. The best thing to do is put in a digital system.  The Consultant is suggesting we put a combination of both. I don’t know what is preferred based on money.

Richard Munday - Our experience is that technology moves so quickly that you want to have a system you feel good about today.

Jack Healy- I don’t know what kind of figures were talking about; I’d feel funny making a decision tonight.

Kent Gilyard - We made a decision to go analog two and a half years ago.  We’re not going to be able to get the equipment in 3 years and we will be criticized for doing this.

Mac Bramley - I’m skeptical doing a half and half system. Will a commitment to do digital require a redesign?  I would have to know what kind of money it would require.

Louis Rosenblatt - We should break down the package pricing and analyze it.

Wayne Shuhi - At one time the difference was $80K

Gary Waugh - We have two digital classrooms at Shepaug and it is a wonderful resource and very valuable for a teacher.

Dom Vita – The cost of the comprehensive package with 18 Channels is over $100K; with 6 channels we will be better off then we are right now.

Bill Buckley - Money is really a second issue here.  I don’t see myself voting for the analog system if it is $100K less.

Bill Buckley motioned that the Building Committee authorize installation of a digital system with a minimum of six (6) channels but with approval of Building Committee Chairman to go up to 18 channels. – Seconded by Jeff Zullo.

Discussion

Jeff Zullo - Looking at the Technology budget would be the right thing to do.

Mac Bramley - I am wondering if we can get a sense of the BOE members’ thoughts.  Are their priorities above this?

Jeff Zullo - We had this discussion early on.  Adrienne Longobucco presented the Technology needs and wants. This is more of an infrastructure expensive than an operating.

Mac Bramley – Motioned to move to question

Motion to move to question Carried.   All votes were in the affirmative except Bill Buckley who voted in the negative.  There were no abstentions.

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

Mac Bramley - Has it been defined what will be in the technology budget?

Bill-Buckley - The Motion was for a digital system with a minimum of 6 channels but maximum of 18 channels to be approved by chairman.

Dom Vita - Now that we know the direction you want to go we’ll get a package together.

FF& E

Dom Vita – Peg Perusse and I met with the Bureau of School Facilities. We discussed furniture that would and would not be eligible for state Reimbursement.   We’re proposing to phase in furniture purchases.  Immediately I would like to go out tomorrow to order student and teacher desks, chairs, and filing cabinets for the new 7-8 grade wing.

Jeff Zullo - The new furniture is going in new rooms.  Is that fully reimbursable?

Dom Vita - No, the State is telling us to take desks from other classrooms and put in them in the new classes.

Bill Buckley - I don’t think that we should decide what furniture to buy based on reimbursable allowances.  How much of the total expenditure is going to be reimbursable?

Bill Buckley Motioned that BC authorize the Superintendent to order phase one of the  furniture, for the  new 7-8 grade wing classrooms and come back to the BC with a total soup to nuts cost.  Seconded by Jeff Zullo.

Discussion

Lynn Chapman – The 2006-2007 budget - was there funds in capital budget for furniture?

Peg Perusse – The 2007-2008 budget had $125,000 for furniture for 2 years.

Bill Buckley – The Capital Committee thought it should come out of this project.

Peg Perusse - Our intent was to get the things that this Project could not get for us.

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

Architect Update

Jack Healy - We asked Richard Munday to come back to discuss the request for additional funds.

Richard Munday - Can we talk about the issue of the colors first?

Bill Buckley - Maybe it’s better to handle the other issues (as apposed to additional funds) tonight. I would like to propose we consider a special meeting to discuss additional funds.

Jeff Zullo - I want to get to the decisions we need to make to keep the project on schedule.

BC discussed the color options with architect for the exterior of the new addition at LIS.

Jeff Zullo - I would like to hear from Design Sub C.

Stacie Kavle and Kent Gilyard - We liked the recommendation Sunflower Yellow and Vermillion

Mac Bramley Motioned that the Building Committee authorize the architect to use the Sunflower/Vermillion combination.  Seconded by Jeff Zullo.

Jack Healy - Can we have a second choice if O&G can not get the Vermillion color?

Motion Carried.   All votes were in the affirmative except Jack Healy, Jeff Zullo and Bill Buckley who voted in the negative.  There were no abstentions.

Construction Manager Update.

Louis Rosenblatt - I met with Peter Bowman (of HSN) and the Engineer. We’re waiting for directive on the south gym wall at LHS.  Peter Bowman will forward sketch to me for pricing.  We also talked about possibly tearing down wall and building a masonry wall.

Gary Waugh - The cost difference of redoing and reinforcing?

Louis Rosenblatt - There are many creative ways to fix the wall. What is the baseline repair cost?  This has to be worked out immediately.

Peter Bowman - To bring walls up to code you’ll have to do the same thing on north wall as you would on south wall.  If it was me I would consider putting it off until next summer.  You’d still have the use of the gym.

Louis Rosenblatt - Provided that we understand how we are proceeding with it.  I am not sure we have to improve the north wall.

Jeff Zullo - Knocking down and replacing both walls a year from now would be difficult.

Louis Rosenblatt - We would put plywood and a framed wall and scaffold outside of building and work from those scaffolds to take down the wall and put it back up.

Bill Buckley - I read about this four weeks ago. I’m just disappointed that we don’t have an answer on this. Who is going to hold their price for a year?

Louis Rosenblatt - Our recommendation is to grab the bull by the horns and just do it.  We left it to the engineer to give us a design of what to do.

Richard Munday - We can turn that around very quickly

Peter Bowman - When the time comes we’ll come forward with a recommendation.

Bill Buckley - The time has come and gone

Gary Waugh - As a person who coaches, I don’t like encroaching on a space. Can the walls be taken down and put back up in the scheduled time frame?

Bill Buckley - I think we have been notified that we have a problem. Now we need to implement that.  We need a fix tomorrow.

Louis Rosenblatt - We need directive from engineer on how to repair that wall or build a new one.

Jack Healy - We need a couple of options and pricing and schedule so that we as a BC know how were going to go forward.

Jeff Zullo - We still have not talked about additional alternates

Bill Buckley - I noticed the roof of the auditorium, the cap has deteriorated.  Is there anything else you need from us?

Bill Buckley Motioned to authorize the Chairman to make a decision on the south (and if necessary the north) wall(s) of the gym.  Seconded by Gary Waugh.

Jeff Zullo and Stacie Kavle spoke were against this motion.

Jeff- Zullo - A concern vs. decision would be fine and formalize with motion a next regular meeting.

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

Louis Rosenblatt passed out cost control reports attached.

Mac Bramley Motioned to Adjourn at 10:30 PM.  . Seconded by Bill Buckley.

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

Respectfully submitted,

Kelli L. Green

Kelli L. Green