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Funding For Remaining Julian Curtiss Roof Work Approved

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By Richard Kaufman

The Representative Town Meeting voted unanimously on Aug. 2 during a special meeting to approve an emergency interim appropriation of $617,000, which includes $30,000 for a contingency, so workers can finish replacing the roof at Julian Curtiss School. 

The Board of Estimate and Taxation voted unanimously on July 27 to approve the funds, before it was sent to the RTM for a final vote.

BOE chair, Peter Bernstein, said that he was pleased to see the RTM support the approval of the funds.

“I absolutely appreciate the full support of the RTM in a near unanimous vote to approve the appropriation for the Julian Curtiss roof,” Bernstein said in an email response earlier this week. “We are excited to get the building closed up, watertight and ready for students and teachers.” Bernstein added that he believes that even with the recent weather events, the BOE is “hopeful” that the project will be completed in time for the first day of school. 

Last Thursday’s special RTM meeting was held after town officials discovered that money had not been set aside for Phase II of the project, even though construction was underway and 90 percent of the shingles had already been removed. 

School officials suspect that the financial oversight occurred as a result of administrative transition, and a “lack of processes and general ledger system limitations,” according to explanatory comments attached to the request. Outgoing Superintendent, Dr. Jill Gildea, along with Chief Operating Officer, Lorraine O’Donnell, and Director of Facilities, Daniel Watson, took over their roles last fall.

JCS underwent two patch jobs on the original slate roof in 2012 and 2015, but leaks were still occurring. The roof was scheduled to be replaced in fiscal year 2016-2017 as part of the public schools’ overall roof budget of $2.175 million, with $550,000 set aside for JCS. 

However, the bidding process revealed that the project would cost $1.7 million, so the school administration cut it into two phases. A contract of $1.1 million was executed, and roughly 60 percent of the roof replacement, or Phase I, was completed last summer. 

This past January, the Board of Education began planning for Phase II and the remaining 40 percent of construction, believing that carryover funds and unused budgets would be available.

The bidding process for Phase II resulted in an awarded bid of $587,000 in March. Contractors mobilized as soon as school concluded in late June, and work began on the east roof.

According to a timeline on the explanatory comments document which was submitted to the RTM, on July 3, the contract for the work was approved by the Town Law Department, and forwarded to the BET for the funding source. 

The BET subsequently contacted the BOE Purchasing Office on July 5 looking for the account code, and received no response. The BET then followed up 11 days later with the BOE Finance Supervisor for the account code. On July 23, the Director of Facilities notified the appropriate parties that funding was not in place.

Ninety percent of the shingles were removed at that point, and one of several ice/water shields was installed, but corners and edges of the building remained exposed. With a non-watertight building and a summer deadline, the BOE felt the only solution was to request an interim emergency appropriation. 

Going forward, Bernstein said the BOE will work with the the BET to make sure that funding oversights aren’t missed again.

“We are already working with the BET so we can ensure adequate controls are in place on the school and town side so this never happens again,” he said. “There will be multiple learning from this event that will ensure necessary accountability and oversight and provide for better planning.”

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