BURTON SCHOOL BOARD SCHEDULES WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS BOND ITEMS
The Burton School Board held off on proceeding further with plans for the 2021 bond project at its meeting Monday.
The board opted to schedule a workshop for Wednesday, December 15th at 5 p.m. to revisit with Joe Carlock, Sales and Marketing Director for DSA, a construction management firm from the Dallas/Fort Worth area that the board approved a contract with at its meeting in November. The meeting will be held for Carlock to re-explain DSA’s involvement in the design process of the bond.
The board was to potentially approve a resolution selecting Reliance Architecture, LLC as the architect for the bond project. It was also set to select a construction delivery method and construction manager-agent, adopt a prevailing wage rate, and give the superintendent authority to work with the district’s legal counsel on the board’s behalf to negotiate and execute the necessary construction contracts related to the project.
Trustee Jeff Harmel said the board should hold a separate meeting to discuss how everything needs to be handled with the bond items legally. He said he believes there is some confusion among trustees and wants to ensure everyone has “all our ducks in a row” and is properly informed before moving forward.
Trustee Dean Fuchs said per board policy, the board should have had an architect in place prior to offering a contract to DSA. He added that he has “full confidence” in the companies the district is working with to make the bond project happen, but wants to make sure everything is done “by the letter of the law.”
Trustee Donna Putnam said she wants the board to be able to address community concerns about why certain firms get chosen, and why no public announcements or notifications were made. Board Vice President Demetrius Colvin said he does not want the community to feel like the board is hiding anything.
Texas Government Code does not require a request for proposals or request for qualifications to select an architect or construction manager-agent; the school board is allowed to select them at their discretion based upon competency and demonstrated qualifications.
Thank you, Burton school board members, for thinking things through and making sure our money is being handled properly. Nice to see some common sense being used.