August 2007

Members Present: Dick Jones, Ginny Markell, Yvonne McVay, Heather Noren, John Matthews, Kristin Mitchell, Renee King, Julie Volpel

Absent: Todd Caldwell, Jeff Klein, Gary Lane, Tom Feely

District Staff Present: Jim Langstraat, Garry Kryszak, Leslie Robinette, Blair Loudat, Ron Stewart, Joe Krumm, Vicki Chambers

Absent: Matt Utterback, Ron Naso

School Board Members Present: Rein Vaga

Community Members Present: Lori Phillips (Rex Putnam parent)

Meeting called to order at 6:30 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Bond Project update: Garry Kryszak and Ron Stewart

We are now producing a weekly bond project report that includes:

• Current photos of many on-going projects
• The construction budget: what we pay the contractor
• The award amount: what we awarded to the contractor
• Change orders to date
• Bid award
• Start date
• Estimated completion date
• Each project’s architect/engineer
• Contractor
• Project manager

Current information about bond projects will soon be available on a new web site. Until then, it can be accessed on the district web site.

Alder Creek Middle School

We are now replacing old light poles. This project will be complete by August 24th, before school starts.

This has been a difficult project, involving coordination with two crews from Portland General Electric.

This project is over budget somewhat due to power routing changes to the snack shack and the need to move power lines below ground.

The Alder Creek budget is $2.6 million. Site money will be allocated as we see the need.

Ardenwald Elementary School

Constructing a replacement for Ardenwald School is now on schedule for a spring start. Some construction managers have changed, but the schedule has not changed.

The project is now moving from schematics to design work. P&C construction will be the builder. This project remains within budget

Architects are studying the look of the old site to stay true to the character of the neighborhood. The new school will be located behind the existing school.

Athletic planning for Milwaukie High and Rex Putnam High

Question: Can we fit an 8-lane track at both schools?
Answer: Yes. It is in the budget and in the plan.

To accomplish this, at MHS, the track will be widened and visitor bleachers will be replaced and moved back.

The new tracks will be part of the installation of the all weather fields at both schools next summer. Scheduling on this is very tight to meet the needs of school athletes. We may need to displace some sports to Alder Creek temporarily next spring or fall.

Bilquist Elementary School

This project is going very well. It is within budget and will be completed just as planned. We have now begun schematic drawings for this site. Land use planning should be easy.

Possibly we may do some preliminary work at Bilquist over winter break. Major work on a 4- classroom/office addition will begin spring break.
We are on budget for a complete renovation of this school.

Boiler Replacement: Milwaukie High, plus Sunnyside, Riverside, & Campbell Elementaries

Work on this started June 15. Removal of the old tank at Milwaukie High has been completed. All work is under budget, and on-target for completion by August 24.

Clackamas Elementary

Work at this site was done at lower cost than anticipated.
The roofing work is done.

One problem is that the windows for the annex arrived late, and will not be completely installed until after school starts. Luckily this will not interfere with classroom use. The contractor was penalized for the delay and will work weekends to complete the project s quickly as possible.

Question: On the handout, could the total site budget be added to the grey bar on the chart?
Answer: This is a weekly report on current projects, so it may not make sense to show the big picture here.

Clackamas High all weather field

The first truly completed project is the CHS all weather field, which is already being used for practice. The ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled just before the first home foot ball game on September 7, Clackamas High vs. Canby.

The budget for this project was $900,000, with $200,000 funded through community contributions.

Happy Valley Elementary & Middle Schools:

Construction of a replacement for Happy Valley Elementary and a new middle school on the same site is the biggest bond project now underway.

1. All modular classrooms have been moved and will be ready for the start of school.
2. Parent drop-off parking and teacher parking will be ready when school starts.
3. We are driving 570 piles, with 160 still to be driven – no complaints so far.
4. This project is on schedule and going very well.
5. The new elementary school will open in fall of 2008.

Happy Valley resident Kristin Mitchell reports that the pile driving is loud, but not dissimilar from other construction noise nearby. People seem to be accepting of the temporary inconvenience.

Question: Will teachers use the construction as a learning opportunity for kids?
Answer: We need to keep kids safe, but teachers will likely take advantage of this opportunity.

Linwood Elementary

This school will get some major remodeling, and add a gym and a new media center. This is a two-step bid process, not a CM/GC project.

Traffic studies will happen at Linwood after school starts. We will bid the project in December, and work begins spring break.

Milwaukie High School

This remodeling project will add girls’ team rooms, and add a black box theater and a dance studio to the existing theater. It will also add restrooms to the second gym.

We are recommending Emerick Construction for a CM/GC bid process.
Early estimates are on budget, and we anticipate a spring start on the project.

Mt. Scott Elementary

We have encountered unexpected challenges on this site, and renovations will cost more than
estimated.

This summer’s work included roof upgrades and siding replacement. Considerable dry rot was discovered in the course of the siding work. The most urgent areas have been addressed this summer so repairs could be completed by the start of the school year.

Additional work to eliminate dry rot will be needed to next summer, and we may need to dip into the contingency fund to accomplish what is needed to ensure a sound structure. Now the building looks nicer and is more structurally sound.

Oregon Trail Elementary

The school’s fire alarm upgrade is nearly complete. It will be ready for the start of school.

We are also working to upgrade heating controls at this site.

The district is planning to recoup funds from Senate Bill 1149 to get reimbursement for energy improvements or to share with private energy entities to recover these funds.

Rex Putnam High School

We are very close to wrapping up the schematic designs for this major remodel. Skanska Construction is doing the work.

The school will get a completely new office and counseling center, a new commons, an upgraded kitchen, a new front entrance, a renovated media center, and upgrades throughout—flooring, lighting, heating, etc.

The budget is tight, but for a complex project we are on track. Work will start in June to avoid some disruption to students. Everything on the list will happen, and maybe more.

The conceptual design for this project has changed about 10 times. By Back to School night there will be display boards up so people can see what is planned.

Question: There are rumors in the community that what is planned is less than what was promised—at Rowe, at Putnam, and at Ardenwald. Can we provide a list of what we’re doing so people can compare?
Answer: a bond information web site with complete details will be available soon. Every item identified on the list of projects for each school will be completed. There is no plan at this time to do anything less than what was promised in writing. If members of the Citizens Oversight
Committee are hearing concerns from people, ask them specifically what they mean—how do they think that what is planned is less than what is promised? Committee members and members of the public are encouraged to call district staff with their questions. We are happy to provide
more information to anyone who needs it.

Roof Improvements: Milwaukie High, NUHS/Sojourner, Oregon Trail, Sunnyside, Riverside, and Milwaukie Elementary Schools

This work includes many small roofing projects at different schools. Most work was routine, though some rot was found at Sojourner.
All roofing projects will wrap up this week, well in advance of the start of school. These projects were below cost estimates.

Rowe Middle School:

The major remodel at Rowe Middle School includes expanding the gym, adding a band/choir area, remodeling locker rooms, an expanded entry, improved parent drop-off and parking, upgrading the kitchen, and a general building upgrade.

Emerick Construction has been recommended for this project. The budget on this project is tight. We have gone through several versions of plans, and are now at the end of schematics.

Sabin-Schellenberg Career-Technical School

Work at this site will happen in the summer of 2008. We have met with staff to conceptualize needs, but need to scale back their dreams to a realistic budget.

The South Campus won’t get much work. Most will happen at the North Campus.

Sunrise Middle School

The carpet in the halls and commons will be replaced by vinyl-type flooring.
The bid has been awarded to Trinity Flooring, and the work is on target for completion by August 24th.

The budget for this site is on target 2 sections of leaking metal roof have been replaced. We only did 2 sections this summer to see
how effective it is before we do the rest.

In summary:

Every bond project scheduled for this summer is on track to be completed before school starts, with the exception of the windows at Clackamas Elementary.

We are adding 12 portable classrooms (using non-bond money) to handle overflow until new schools are ready for use. That brings the total number of portable classrooms in our school district to 84. Some of these are leased.

Question: Why replace HV with a school of the same size?
Answer: We are building 2 new elementary schools to replace the one. The second elementary
will open fall of 09.

The plan is to move all Happy Valley Elementary students into the new building (some in the elementary side and some in the middle school side). When the second new elementary school opens in the fall of 2009, half the students will move there.

Question: Why not build a bigger school?
Answer: Education research says that 550 students is the optimal size for academics.

Property Purchase: Ron Stewart

We hope to purchase 40 acres for Verne A. Duncan Elementary School and Sunrise Middle School #2 between 162nd & 172nd. We have completed appraisals and met with the property owners. We hope to come to an agreement with them on a fair sale price. If not, we will offer to bring in a mediator. If this is not successful, we will go to binding arbitration (condemnation process) to arrive at a fair price, likely above the appraised value.

The construction start date for the new elementary school is June of 2008, and we expect to finish by the summer of 2009.

The construction start date for the new middle school will be in June 2009 and finish June 2010.

We are seeking property for the Happy Valley #2 project, exploring 2 scenarios around 172nd in the Haggen Road area. One situation involves one owner. The other involves 3 owners.

At this point we have completed wetland assessments and done some appraisals. Next we will make an offer. If the offer is not accepted, the next step is to offer mediation. The final step would be to file for 3rd party binding arbitration (condemnation process), although sometimes when this happens, parties settle before going to court.

Construction on the Happy Valley Elementary #2 project will start the summer of 2008 with the goal of completion by the fall of 2009.

We are also purchasing property for future bond projects.

East of 172nd in a high growth area.
South of Sunnyside Road on the east end of the district.

Property prices are increasing, so we would like to buy sooner rather than later.

Motion to accept the minutes:

Heather Noren made a motion to accept the minutes of the May 16th meeting. Julie Volpel seconded the motion. Minutes approved unanimously as written.

District sports facilities budget: Ron Stewart Spending on high school athletic facilities was explained.

Milwaukie High will see $1,330,000 in athletic facility improvements. Of this, $980,000 comes from the bond, $100,000 will be contributed by the community over the next decade, and $250,000 will be contributed through a partnership with Clackamas County Parks & Recreation.

Rex Putnam High will see $1,430,000 in athletic facility improvements. Of this, $1,080,000 comes from the bond, $100,000 will be contributed by the community over the next decade, and $250,000 will be contributed through a partnership with Clackamas County Parks & Recreation.

Clackamas High School will see $900,000 in athletic facility improvements. Of this, $700,000 comes from the bond, and $200,000 will be contributed by the community.

In addition, $240,000 in bond funds will be used to install gym bleachers in elementary schools.

Question: Regarding the all weather surface at Milwaukie High, the community will need to provide $100,000 in matching funds over the next 10 years, half for the track and half for the field. This amount is lower than expected because the North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District made a contribution to the project. Why?
Answer: Because Parks & Recreation is desperate for field space. By partnering with the school district, they get to use the all weather field for youth and community sports when it is not in school use.

Question: Why is Clackamas High is getting their all weather field first?
Answer: It is because the other schools will receive larger improvements, such as stadium improvements, field lights, and 8-lane tracks, and it was most efficient and effective to coordinate to have all of these projects to be done at the same time. Clackamas High School did not have the same extensive improvements; therefore the district could complete their project sooner. Both Rex Putnam and Milwaukie High will have all weather fields ready for use in the fall of 2008.

Reportedly, the Clackamas Review article about athletic facility improvements quoted Ron Naso as saying the Clackamas High community decided that rather than the added bleachers, they will get turf sooner.

For school newsletters, the district needs to do a follow up by feeder areas describing what
happened with bond projects over the summer.

Financial update: Jim Langstraat

The bond project web site will be up soon, featuring updated pictures and financial reports.

A monthly report is available detailing a current summary of bond allocations and spending to date, allocated contingencies, and unallocated contingencies, as well as a breakdown of spending for each school facility.

The worth of the bond is expected to increase from $229 million to nearly $260 million as a result of favorable interest rates and competitive bidding at the time the bonds were sold.

Since the bonds were invested, we have generated $4 million in interest. Every month until we buy the land, we will generate about $100,000 in interest.

We have not yet started many of the remodeling projects. When we do we can anticipate finding problems or conditions we had not expected, and these will impact costs.

$12.1 million in unallocated contingencies to cover errors, omissions, unknowns, unforeseens, and scope increases. If funds remain after all planned projects have been completed, we will buy down the bonds to reduce taxpayer debt.

We expect we will have to pay arbitrage because of how well we have invested the money. This is not uncommon for multi-year, large-scale projects.

The $17.7 allocated contingency has covered most of our big cost projects. The money has been allocated in anticipation of need due to cost increases and (for example) dealing with the challenging soil conditions on the Happy Valley site.

Bottom line, we are in good shape.

We are lucky to have a contingency fund. However, we are putting a lot of pressure on the architects and builders to keep projects on budget.

We face large systems development charges for the new middle school help to develop roads, transportation infrastructure, etc. We may get some money back if we do some frontage improvements.

There will also be a large fee to Sunrise Water & Environment services for storm water & sewer connections.

Discussion of COC’s annual report to the community: Dick Jones

What should the report include? 

• General overview
• How to get more information about bond projects
• If we have made any changes, we need to provide the public with the rationale.
• Go back to the three promises we made to the community.
• Report on our progress toward those 3 promises.
• Explain the prudence of contingencies and where that money came from (interest).
• A link to the new bond web site with more information.
• How do you explain all the extra money we have to apply to projects?
• Quotes from kids about the difference this is making.

Possible format:

• Letter to the community from the chair?
• One page in the district’s annual report issue of the newsletter, mailed to all district households in February. (some 45,000 households)

Who would like to serve on subcommittee?

• Ginny Markell
• Renee King
• Dick Jones

They will plan to meet as a subcommittee before the next COC meeting.

Questions and Concerns: Ron Stewart

Dick Jones raised a question about sustainable building and sustainability practices. In Dick’s view, the most important things are outcomes, not certification standards, because time is money.

He feels the district is looking at decision making with an eye to sustainability. Leslie Robinette invited all COC members to the ribbon cutting of the new all weather field at Clackamas High, at 6:45 on Friday, September 7 just prior to the first home football game in the Clackamas High Stadium. COC members can receive free VIP admission to the game if they RSVP by September 5 to Leslie Robinette (robinettel@nclack.k12.or.us) and enter through the
main gate.

Ginny Markell commended district staff for their lovely work on the Happy Valley Ground breaking ceremony. The event was great for the students and for the public. Ginny hopes all the groundbreakings will be this nice.

The next Citizens Oversight Committee meeting will be Wednesday, November 7 at 6:30 in the district boardroom.