Second of two parts.
Re: “Answering Nearly Every Measure CC Question”
[Editor’s Note: In yesterday’s introductory installment, Mr. Reynolds, the School District’s assistant superintendent/business, launched a detailed explanation of the District’s intentions for investing the $107 million Measure CC school improvements bond that passed overwhelmingly in June of last year. Supt. Dave LaRose promised last night that comprehensive updates will be filed regularly for community inspection.]
The second component of our first area of focus, the complete set of detailed plans for the Robert Frost Auditorium modernization project, is currently languishing at the Division of the State Architect (DSA).
Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
While we continue to work closely with DSA to move the process forward, we are waiting for the DSA reviewer to work through a huge stack of applications from other school districts across the state that were in the pipeline before ours. Once it is our turn, the DSA reviewer will begin processing our plans for the Frost. However, DSA has informed us that the review is not expected to begin until the end of the year — at the earliest. The architectural firm working on the Frost, Hodgetts and Fung, has attempted to expedite the approval process with DSA.
This is a good example of good news-bad news. The potential very good news is that new state funding for our facilities may be possible because of the investment we have made in our Athletic Complex. On the other hand, the delay in DSA’s review of our plans for the Frost is frustrating for the entire community.
Another example of restrictions faced by the District comes from the constantly changing legal environment in our state construction process. Our second area of focus, involving maintenance projects scheduled during school breaks, was set to begin the first day of summer break. However, an unexpected court decision in Fresno — related to the way school districts throughout the state contract for construction — stopped our efforts cold. This created enormous delays in moving forward.
Again, good news-bad news. While the court decision stopped much of our construction, we are faring better than most districts in California because the District’s legal team quickly added the new, legally required components to our contracts and negotiate additional assurances to protect the District.
Though that process took several months, significantly delaying a long list of summer projects, our contracts now comply with the court’s decision.
We are working with our construction firm to clear up residual legal concerns about the manner in which the bid specifications for each project are prepared – another result of the June court decision. We have employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to resolving this final issue and to get our projects moving as quickly as possible. Since summer is long gone, we are focusing on completing these projects in a manner that does not interfere with our ongoing educational programs.
Our third area of focus, the 12-year plan for complete renovations of our schools is underway. Interviews of prospective architectural firms are being conducted this week. We had a challenging task to reduce the number of firms wishing to work with us to the few we are interviewing. We expect to select a team by Oct. 10.
Just a Few More Months
Our architectural team immediately will start work with our bond program management firm, Harris and Associates, to provide our community with a complete schedule of major projects over the next 12 years. Within the next few months, we should have a project scope that sequences the complex list of Measure CC projects to be completed over the next 12 years and prioritizes projects based on both need and timing with other projects. This single, integrated long-range master plan will serve as a roadmap for the future.
We believe it is critical to work cooperatively with the community to make sure everyone understands how our facilities’ improvements are progressing and any delays or problems. That is why we will schedule public sessions before select School Board meetings to answer questions from the public about our progress. These meeting will begin at 5 o’clock. The superintendent, assistant superintendent for business services, and members from our bond management/construction team will be available to address items related to Measure CC. See ccusd-measurecc.org where you can submit questions or concerns and read updates about our facilities improvements.
All efforts – including Phase I projects – will include high levels of participation with site administration and staff to clarify goals, develop project specifications and identify when the work can be addressed.
We are excited about the future of our schools. We are thankful that the Culver City community has and continues to put the highest priority on educating our children in a high-quality learning environment. Completing these major facilities improvements will not be easy. We appreciate everyone’s patience.
