Plum schools - At least one Plum School Board member says the district should not pay for a blunder that will add $200,000 to the cost of building a new auditorium at the senior high school.
The additional funds will be needed to reinforce steel used to build the auditorium after an error was discovered in project design specifications.
As a cost analysis is conducted, Plum School Board member Rena Lynn Koteski said Monday she plans to stand firm in her position that the district should not pay for the cost overrun.
"I think the district should get the whole ball of wax paid for," Koteski said. "There are two Foreman companies who should have been bird dogging (the project)."
John L. Kamer, senior project manager with Foreman Program and Construction Managers, told the board at its work session late last week the dilemma with the steel is the "most major problem we've had to date."
Kamer said the problem came to light several weeks ago when contractors who were erecting steel at the area where the stage will be located and were "uncomfortable with the (steel's) stability."
Work was stopped immediately, Kamer said. Officials determined the design specifications for the auditorium were inaccurate.
Foreman officials said the specifications were drawn up by a structural engineer who is a consultant and not on the firm's staff.
Paul Fackler, project manager with Foreman Architects and Engineers, declined to identify the structural engineer citing the potential in the future for litigation.
Kamer told the board the problems with the steel are in three areas of the auditorium: the stage, the columns in the seating area, and the vertical structure "had to be tied into the walls."
The columns were undersized, Kamer said. A reinforcing piece of steel must be added to bring it up to the correct specifications.
"The steel that's up there now is being supported with guide wires to keep it in place," said Kamer. "We're making major modifications."
In another portion of the stage, the columns were turned in the wrong direction and need to be reinforced, Kamer said.
Fackler said Foreman is prepared to "assist the school district" in paying for the $200,000 cost overrun. Fackler said the district would have originally paid more for steel had the specifications been accurate.
"There is some wasted work," Fackler said. "But there's extra value received in the heavier steel. You would have paid more. Foreman will step up and help out."
The mention of the district paying a portion of the $200,000 drew raised eyebrows from some board members.
"If the work had been done as to the proper design, then they would not have wasted the work," said Barbara Krause. "You are saying that Plum School District will have a financial obligation for this mistake?"
Fackler replied, "there will be some."
Charles Coltharp, project architect for Foreman Architects and Engineers, said using the heavier steel is a "value added change."
Foreman officials suggested the district have the general contractor on the project, C&M Contracting, do a cost analysis of the financial obligations.
Krause said yesterday she is still researching the issue and has not reached an opinion about whether the district should be responsible for a portion of the $200,000 cost overrun.
Koteski said she continually has had concerns about the Foreman group. In particular, Koteski said she has concerns that the firm is the architect on the project and is serving as the construction manager.
"It's like the fox watching the hen house," Koteski said yesterday.
When Koteski asked Kamer why the firm didn't catch the problems with the specifications, Kamer said Foreman's job is to look for "major gaps in the scope" of the design.
"It is a given that it (the specs) come from a competent source," Kamer said. "We do not look at the engineering specs."
Koteski said yesterday that she is grateful that no one was hurt with the steel problem, but she believes Foreman should have caught the errors.
"That's why they are paid the big bucks," Koteski said. "I am standing firm that they assume the entire cost."
Additional discussion on the issue is expected at the 7:30 school board meeting tonight.
The new auditorium is part of the almost $40 million in renovations to the high school.
Plum Superintendent George Cooke said the district budgeted $1.8 million in a contingency fund to cover change orders on the project. Cooke recently said about $1.6 million has been used.
The auditorium is scheduled to be completed in December. Kamer said the problem with the steel is not expected to delay the completion of the auditorium.
