“They’ve wasted taxpayers’ money,” said Danny Jones, an architect who previously worked with BRPH Architects-Engineers Inc. of Vinings, the firm that designed the ninth-grade center. “They are double-dipping to pay the architect again to redesign.”
On Thursday night, the board voted first to separate the ninth-grade project from other maintenance and renovation work to be done at the school, then voted to proceed with only the maintenance and renovations. Both votes were 4-3, with Chairman Scott Sweeney, Lynnda Eagle and David Banks opposing.
Jones said separating the work, as the board did, would be close to impossible. Two parts of the renovation are for larger rooms, a choral room and a cafeteria, that were to be housed inside the ninth-grade center.
“You have to redesign the whole facility … you will have to start from square one,” Jones said. “Those design pieces (the choral room and cafeteria), if they were put back in the original building, the possibility of that hasn’t ever been done.”
In February 2011, the board authorized spending up to $686,700 with the BRPH firm for designing the entire project — renovations and ninth-grade center. The district has actually paid $460,000 for the design work, Deputy Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said.
The vote on the architectural work was also 4-3, but with board members Alison Bartlett, Kathleen Angelucci and Tim Stultz opposing.
Heather Ryan, a Harrison parent who spoke in favor of the ninth-grade center during the public comment portion of Thursday’s meeting, is furious with the board’s vote. If the Cobb delegation’s reapportionment map moves Alison Bartlett into Harrison’s area, Ryan plans to actively campaign against Bartlett’s re-election later this year, she said.
“She’s not taking care of our constituents, our area,” she said. “They have to build (the ninth-grade center). It’s in the SPLOST III notebook … there’s no place inside the school to make the other renovations.”
The cafeteria can’t be expanded in its current location because it is only 15 feet from the curb, she said. Also, if the choral-room renovations are done now and the ninth-grade center later, there would likely be so little ground left on campus that the ninth-grade center would have to built on top of the choral room.
“They weren’t taking those kinds of things into consideration,” Ryan said. “Most of them haven’t been out there to look at the school, I guarantee.”
Ragsdale said members of the district’s SPLOST staff tried to warn the board about how much it would cost to go back to the drawing board.
Larry Wall, the SPLOST construction director, told the board that the district would not be able to bid the ninth-grade center again for at least a year, and that doing so could end up costing more, though he did not say how much.
Ryan said she didn’t think the SPLOST staff members were vocal enough about the additional costs.
“I would have loved to have gotten back up there to bring up the concerns with dividing all these things up,” she said.
Sweeney, the board’s chairman, said that he too is concerned about the “substantial fees” the vote may cost the district, but that board members had ample time to consider the proposal.
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Based on my knowledge of West Cobb and comments I have read from HHS parents, I believe there is much more to argument than a "9th grade center". Harrison is an old, outdated and overcrowded school. Yes, it's not as crowded as it used to be, but it is still several hundred students over capacity. The hallways are crowded and narrow, which prevents kids from using lockers, the cafeteria and choral room need expanding, there is a need for additional, larger class space. I'm sure the list goes on.
I see this project as Harrison High School expansion and renovation. Since it requires building an additional building, it makes the most sense to move the 9th grade into that building because they are the most isolated group of kids, in regards to what courses they take and the limited number of teachers that they interact with. The county could just as easily have made it a math and science building but is choosing to make it a 9th grade center because it is an easy line to draw and does have the added benefit of separating 14 year olds from 18 year olds. Face facts, What kids do at 18 is far different than what most do at 14. If we can limit a little bit the exposure of 14 year olds to 18 year olds, that is an added bonus.
The argument shouldn't be if Harrison needs a 9th grade center, but it should be if Harrison needs expansion and renovation.
But you are in a do nothing position.
What more could you ask for?
Scott Sweeney, Lynnda Eagle, Newt, Alison
Bartlett, Kathleen Angelucci and Tim Stultz there are no better team in the business.
BOLD SOLUTIONS AND BIG IDEAS
The ninth grade year is crucial for most kids. How they begin as a freshman will determine their GPA...if they start in the hole, they can likely never dig themselves out. The development between the ages of 14 and 18 (and in some cases, older) is huge. The intimidation factor is huge. Keeping the kids focussed on studies in their first year of high school pays back many dividends. I'm just a parent and cannot put it in more scientific terms than that, but it seems to be common sense, if you are a parent or if you've even been in a high school in the last five years. If you are older, you might need to be told that our culture has greatly changed since the days when a whole high school might be 100 kids. These days, one freshman class can be up to 800 or more kids, making a 9th grade center a real good idea, imo.
As for you Sweeney, your efforts to attempt to appear fiscally responsible is laughable. You've never seen a spending project you did not love. If Post 6 had known they were voting for a BFF for Eagle, Banks, & Morgan you would not be sitting on the School Board today. But don't you worry your comeuppance is coming November 2013 and Post 6 cannot wait. Oh BTW - When are you going to start having all those Town Halls you promised? Scared? Worried you will have to face alone all the Post 6 voters you lied to with your campaign promises as you went door-to-door? You said you would vote to get rid of Dillon. I believe you were quoted in the paper as having said "ditto" agreeing with other candidates who said Dillon had to go. Then there were those promises concerning Alice Stouder and the likes. What was that you said your father always told you about keeping your word? No doubt you listened to him as well as you listen to your constituents.
angelucci and
bartlett.
they simply will never support L.Eagle because she was a former educator.. Don't you get it...these two and their groupies don't like educators nor do they want to see Cobb
schools succeed.
they really just want to run the district.
Obviously most of you could care less since you were not in the meeting wearing traditional red. Next time, do your homework, and be prepared for any votes impacting your community.
Unless.... you really don't support this new addition at all.
BTW...if you "could care less" about others opinions why should we value yours? I think we should be working together to make our county/country a better place to live, not devaluing someone who may actually have a better perspective on something than yourself.
Have a good day, God Bless!
Well, anonymous, you are really cutting off your nose to spite your face then, because who knows better than the planners of the project when we are being ripped off?
This isnt' the first time I have heard a contract-winning company basically come right out and say that this school district is one of the worst in terms of corruption and just plain poor business practices. Think about it: you have successful private sector businesses who know how to run their businesses dealing with incompetent government bureacrats who spend other people's money. When someone like this speaks out, even jeopardizing his own livelihood/contract, I THINK WE SHOULD ALL LISTEN UP. WHEN PEOPLE COME OUT AND DO THE RIGHT THING, THEY SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED and disparaged by the likes of this anonymous blogger, who probably works for the district anyway. Where have we seen this before?