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Where's the Beef?
By now most readers are familiar with the continuously leaky roof situation in our schools. At the March 11th board meeting a presentation was made to the board that showed more than 80-photos of leaking roofs and damage to the gym floors. To view some of these photos, click here. Following the presentation, Superintendent Rhau offered his opinion on the subject matter. He said that while the presentation was “comprehensive,” not all of the claims were “legitimate,” and that the capital project is not yet finished. He took exception to some of the presentation, saying that if he'd been shown the photographs in advance, he could have come to the meeting with more information. First of all, his statement that not all of the claims are legitimate is ludicrous---and a picture, “worth a thousand words,” proves that. Many of the photos show leaks and damage from the “new roofs” that (according to the District’s web site) are “complete.” Secondly, with respect to Rhau’s “exception” to the presentation and claim that seeing the photos in advance would have better prepared him, not only should he be on top of such issues, but had he followed the directive of the board president, he would have had that opportunity. On October 11, 2007, Board President Tucker sent Superintendent Rhau a directive (via e-mail), which read: “When I appointed the facilities committee my intention was for this committee to be fully involved which included the capital project/construction meetings and anything else that had to do with facilities. Any concerns, changes, complaints or any problems should be brought before the facilities committee and any correspondence relating to the above should be made available to Mark Thompson, Richard Petramale, Bob McCaig and alternate member George Heidcamp. The upcoming meeting where you invite facility committee members will be a facility committee meeting and should be advertised accordingly. Signed BOE President Don Tucker”
In August of 2007, President Tucker appointed a Facility Committee comprised of four board members (Robert McCaig, Richard Petramale, Mark Thompson and George Heidcamp (as the alternate)). In spite of Board president Tucker’s directive to include the alternate, Rhau defiantly disregards that directive and schedules Construction Project meetings and then notifies and invites members McCaig, Petramale and Thompson to attend, but excludes Heidcamp—even when an alternate is needed. In fact, most recently, Rhau scheduled a Construction Project meeting for February 26, 2008, sent an e-mail to each of the Facility Committee members to announce the same, but again excluded Heidcamp. Committee member Thompson notified Rhau that he was unable to attend the meeting and suggested that he contact the alternate (Heidcamp) to replace him. Apparently rather than inviting Heidcamp, Rhau canceled the meeting and re-scheduled it for the following week instead. Thereafter, member Petramale notified Rhau that he was out of town on vacation and would be unable to attend. Again, Rhau, ignoring the President’s directive, as noted above, failed to notify Heidcamp to attend as the alternate. So, as it turned out, Mark Thompson was the only member of the Facility Committee to attend that meeting (McCaig was a “no-show”). During the March 11th board meeting President Tucker stated that “the Facility Committee has been completely by-passed since its inception and that it was very clear that the Vice-President was not able to be involved in the meetings because he was not invited.” In other words, he was left out of the loop. It is quite obvious that Rhau does not want George Heidcamp to attend those Construction Project meetings, but why? Is he afraid of what Heidcamp might uncover? Is there something being hidden? What is Rhau’s motive? What will be uncovered? You are the judge ... what do you think?
Major Water Damage According to public information (March 2, 2007 to Superintendent), a considerable amount of water damage had occurred to both Mt. Marion and Grant D. Morse Schools due to roof leaks. Subsequently, the District’s insurance carrier settled a claim for $118,465.65 which was distributed in the following manner: 1. $20,710.00 was paid directly to West Fair (the company assigned by the Claims Adjuster to dry out the gym floors); While 25% of the gym floor at Mt. Marion School still has major damage and can not be used, it’s been said that the District has money left over from the insurance claim to make the necessary repairs this summer. Of course, this information has never been shared with the BOE.
And Finally, Where’s the Beef? Serious leaks and damage occurred to both Mt. Marion and Grant D. Morse Schools overnight on August 7, 2007, as the result of heavy rain. Superintendent Rhau notified the BOE that some serious leaks had occurred and that the District is pursuing reimbursement from WB Roofing for the District expenses incurred from these two problems. When asked how much damage had occurred in dollars, Rhau said approximately $20,000 and indicated that he would pursue reimbursement by filing a claim with the District’s insurance carrier. He also indicated that photos of the damage had been taken by the contractor. It has now been almost seven-months: inquiry and request for a detailed account of the reimbursement received by the District for the damage done to the roofs, tiles, walls, etc. (as well as an opportunity to view the photographs), has twice been made of the administration. To date, neither response nor opportunity to view the photos has been received. A final e-mail requesting this information was sent to Business Manager Joe Dziadik on March 15, 2008. Hopefully this time answers will be given. Where’s the $20,000 reimbursement for the damage to the Mt. Marion and Grant D. Morse schools that occurred on August 7, 2007? Where’s the beef?
March 20, 2008 |