More BCCT Coverage of Hellmann Report

Sorry everyone, but I slept in this morning. Believe it or not, the kids AND spouse AND all the pets remained asleep in their beds, with nary a vision of sugarplums dancing in our heads. Thanks to jon for the heads up.

Manasee Wagh was at the Wednesday Night Follies and files her report.

Asked why he kept everyone in the dark, the Emperor is quoted as saying “That's minor. I'm not going to comment on that.”

MINOR?? I'm going to look up some of the similar statements that President Nixon said in the summer of 1972 when that minor third rate burglary was discovered. Remember, Nixon didn't lose his office because of Watergate (the burglary), but Watergate (the coverup.) Stop the coverup, all nine, excuse me, eight, of you. Thanks to Joe Kemp for his vote on this matter: A PRINCIPLED NO.

The supreme arrogance of this autocrat amazes me.

Even the Wick Fisher White people are abandoning Hellmann: There are a lot of variables involved in renovation, and without doing further study it's not really practical to provide a figure for total expenses, said an engineer from Wick Fisher White. He did not want to be named. LOL!! I wouldn't either.

I'll copy the text of the article below. But before I do, I mentioned yesterday how in Kate Fratti's column, the Emperor's toadies were dismissing his minor laspe as nothing more than a mistake made by a good man overwhelmed with the nuances of government work. I noted in response that he was the elected Morrisville Borough Controller, and surely he had gained some government experience in that position. I found the League of Womens Voters Guide to the 2007 election online, and the SELF PROVIDED entry for the Emperor is:

"practicing CPA who has provided accounting and consulting to many Pennsylvania Municipal Governments for the past 29 years. I also bring business skills and business savvy."

I'll admit that school administration is different from municipal administration. Having said that, after 30 years in the government arena, he know that rules exist, and they need to be followed. That's what the professionals (Yonson and Dunford) are there for.

Business savvy? I'm thinking like, maybe, NOT!

BTW, does anyone want to change the graphics here into "Stop the Secrecy"?

Board OKs engineering study after being kept in the dark
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times

In a surprise move at this week's meeting of the Morrisville school board, President William Hellmann asked the board to approve and pay for a recent engineering evaluation on the middle/high school.

Hellmann had hired the firm independently and without approval by the board.

Prior to its vote to return most of a $30 million bond that would have paid for a new K-12 school, board members approved the firm's evaluation report. The report included recommendations for building improvements and a breakdown of how much those improvements would cost. Part of the vote included paying the firm's $2,500 fee.

About 50 residents were at Wednesday's meeting, and roughly 12 spoke during the public comment session. Several implored the board to hold off on returning any bond money until a thorough analysis of Morrisville's three schools is made and an estimate on how much fixing problems would cost.

The main concern was that repairs would be too expensive not to borrow more money.

Another loan would likely raise taxes, according to administrators.

“Hold off and table this issue, until we have a more long-term plan and know how much money we have,” resident and former board member Peter Eisengrein told the board. “If you have a plan and numbers, please share them.”

Several board members disapproved of being kept in the dark about the engineering study until it was done, as well as the sudden need to pay $2,500. However, after much discussion, all but Joseph Kemp finally voted to accept the report and absorb the fee.

Asked why he didn't include the board in the hiring of the firm, Hellmann said Thursday, “That's minor. I'm not going to comment on that.”

The original $30 million loan would have funded a new school building for the district's 1,000-plus students. According to members of the previous board, a new school would have been a cheaper alternative in the long run to renovating the middle/high school and two elementary schools.

Reba Dunford, the district's business administrator, urged the board to keep the remaining $28.5 million of the bond until renovation costs are determined. The previous board used about $1.5 million of the $30 million bond for engineer and architect fees related to the proposed new school.

Dunford presented an example of a detailed Pennsbury School District high school renovation plan. The building is similar in size to Morrisville's middle/high school.

The cost estimate for Pennsbury was about $20.5 million in 2005. Because of rising costs, fixing such a building would now be more expensive, Dunford said.

Some members of the community congratulated Hellmann on pushing the annulment of $22 million of the bond.

The previous board squandered a portion of the original $30 million bond, said Morrisville resident Stephen Worob, a borough council member, referring to the fees paid out. The proposed new school would have created a tax increase of more than $646 annually, Dunford said last May.

Now that there is not going to be a new school, an evaluation was needed to define future renovation work and authorize related expenditures, said Ernest R. Closser III, the attorney hired by Hellmann as bond counsel. The engineering firm's walk-through provided the preliminary analysis and projected expenses related to renovations, he added.

“You can't pursue projects without preliminary cost estimates, according to the state debt act,” Closser said.

District solicitor Thomas Kelly pointed out that hiring a firm means spending public money. The proper course of action would have been for the board to present bids for firms publicly, and only then vote on a firm, he said.

Hellmann independently invited Philadelphia-based Wick Fisher White Engineers to evaluate the “major infrastructure components of the existing high school,” according to the firm's report. The evaluation was distributed to board members on the day of the meeting Wednesday.

On Jan. 17, engineers looked at the boilers, plumbing, electrical systems and windows to determine if they should be repaired or left as is, according to the report.

The report also noted that observations were limited to portions of the building that were viewed during a walk-through. No further investigation, such as performing calculations to verify the capacity of existing equipment, was done.

Engineers recommended 10 immediate actions be taken, such as installing automatic fire suppression systems in kitchen exhaust hoods for about $15,000 per system. Ten other actions were recommended to be taken in the next three to five years. The report further described additional observations and recommendations.

Total repair cost is not listed in the report.

There are a lot of variables involved in renovation, and without doing further study it's not really practical to provide a figure for total expenses, said an engineer from Wick Fisher White. He did not want to be named.

Copies of the full report are available in the business administrator's office and on the district Web site, at www.mv.org. It's called “Existing Systems Report by Wick, Fisher and White.”

Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said the district has heard no talk yet about a feasibility study for the two elementary schools. Both need renovations.

“We're very confused by that ourselves and there's a lot of work to be done on that as well,” she said. “The facilities committee really needs to address this issue.”