The Akron Public Schools on Monday night switched to a new method of management for construction projects.
In a unanimous vote, the school board approved going from the multiple prime method to construction manager at risk (CMR).
Under multiple prime, the school district had to deal with three to six different contractors on projects, explained schools Treasurer Ryan Pendleton earlier Monday afternoon. With CMR, “we issue a contract to one construction company and they hire all the subcontractors,” Pendleton said, lessening the administrative burden on the district and decreasing its overall liability on a project. CMR allows the school district and the state to set a guaranteed maximum price for the project. If the project comes in under budget, those savings are returned to the district.
Under multiple prime, “you don’t know if you are able to come close to at budget, on budget or over budget until the end of a project,” Pendleton said. With CMR, there is a better idea of what the “bid-day” savings will be when the subcontractors’ bids are in.
Ellet Community Learning Center will be the first school completed under the CMR system. The early site package was awarded under multiple prime, Pendleton said, and that work has been completed.
The board also voted to approve a contract with Hammond Construction of Canton, which was selected by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to act as CMR for the Ellet project. A purchase order in the amount of $960,415 will be issued for consulting fees.
The guaranteed maximum price for the new Ellet school is $47,754,645.
“We want to let them get started,” Pendleton said of Hammond. “They have already reached out to subcontractors and should have bid-day results within a week.”
“We want to protect as much of a local presence as possible,” he said. In cooperation with the city, Hammond has reached out and gotten a short list of contractors that are local.
In his remarks, board President Patrick Bravo said he wondered what kind of impact the new education secretary (Betsy DeVos) will have on public education.
“It’s still early to tell, but I think it’s incumbent upon each of us around the table to be vigilant,” Bravo said. “We’re going to continue to do what we do for the children and families of Akron Public Schools. I think we’re also going to watch closely what’s going on in Washington to be sure that nothing is done that’s going to undermine what we’re doing or jeopardize the success of our students or our district.”
In other business, the board approved a resolution to accept a grant from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. for $50,000 to support STEM initiatives at Akron’s STEM middle and high schools.
The funds will be used to support fifth-grade student participation in the LEGO Project: Letting Everyone GO Coding, in which students will learn to code their own robot, and to purchase supplies and materials for problem-based learning in which students and Goodyear employees will collaborate, support an after-school coding club and support training for two teachers and two Goodyear employees.
The board also accepted $3,500 from the OMNOVA Solutions Foundation to fund the Let Me Learn Program services provided by Joseph Coleman at the STEM high school and Firestone high school.
Board member John Otterman demonstrated a device that delivers Narcan to the thigh that he would like to see in the high schools. Board members questioned what is allowed and not allowed to be administered at school and will discuss the issue further either in a work session or at a future meeting.
Superintendent David James suggested the following properties could be offered up for auction after appraisal: Goodyear Middle School at 49 N. Martha Ave.; the former Crosby Elementary School at 235 Smith St., now vacant; and the former Lincoln Elementary School at 175 W. Crosier St., now vacant.
Monica L. Thomas can be reached at 330-996-3827 or mthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @MLThomasABJ and www.facebook.com/MLThomasABJ.