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Not A Penny More
To the Editor:
The Garrison School Board often promised to spend "not a penny more than the voters authorized for the new construction." But now the Trustees have found a way to get $180,000 extra without voter approval. How can this happen?
First, they underestimated the cost for the project, refusing to include a sum for contingencies in the last referendum. Second, they did not require the construction manager to present complete monthly reports on the progress payments and further expenses which could be anticipated. The District has been kept in the dark about the financial picture. Extra funds may be justified, but the lack of solid information to date raises serious questions How can we know how the funds have been spent and whether all the specified work has been completed?
Third, no-one paid serious attention to the Architects’ contract (a percentage of the construction cost) and that the last referendum raised the cost of the project. There was also additional work as the plans changed. Since a judgment bond was available, it was easy to spend all the approved money. Why stay in the budget if you know you can get a judgment bond without a public vote? It only requires that there be a court decision (judgment) ordering the payment of additional money, or, that the extra money is needed to settle a threatened lawsuit. Why did the school wait so long to acknowledge payment according to the contracts? How many contractors have actually threatened to sue, so they made available money that doesn’t require a vote?
Finally, the GUFS Trustees have been through eighteen months of construction, several months of budget discussions, twice monthly public meetings, and now, with only one and a half day’s notice of a Special Meeting at 8:00 in the morning, they slip in a major decision for extra funds. Two weeks after Betsy Calhoun’s term is over, the shenanigans begin. The decision may be correct, but the secrecy is a disgrace. As with several recent issues, the Board’s ideas may (or may not) be fine, but their highhanded autocratic way of forcing their will on the District causes a great harm to the community. "Our way or the highway " is that what Dr, Bergman and the Board believe?
Horst Bracke
Garrison
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