Board approves preparations

MEEKER I “We’re getting closer,” said Meeker School Superintendent Susan Goettel about the repairs needed at the new elementary school building.
The Meeker Board of Education listened to a presentation from Wayne Muir of SCI Inc., the engineering company hired by the board to design the needed repairs, and then approved three motions to get the project under way.
Muir reported the repair drawings are 100 percent complete and will be given to The Neenan Company to submit for permitting.
“The state is very sensitive to our time schedule,” Muir said of the permitting process. “It’s not a large scope change so the review shouldn’t take long.”
The first motion approved by the board was to authorize The Neenan Company to begin preparations for the repairs and reconstruction by conducting an inventory of items in the school and to take measures to protect and secure all items during the demolition, reconstruction and repair process, with the understanding the work would be completed at no cost to the district.
The district will be responsible for additional repair costs needed because of the most recent soils test, which showed two different soil classifications. The Neenan Company will estimate the costs over and above the demolition, reconstruction and repair work they will provide without charge and the board authorized Goettel to hire a professional construction cost estimator to verify the reasonableness of The Neenan Company’s cost estimate for the additional work to be paid for by the district.
The Neenan Company understands no demolition, reconstruction and repairs will begin until, with advice from the district’s legal counsel, one or more additional addendum to the Nov. 18, 2008, Archistruction Services Agreement is entered into.
The board will meet again in two weeks, at which time they hope to have a permit and agreements signed to begin the work of repairing the school.
“I’m comfortable everything is in place and we can do some things concurrently to keep moving,” Muir said.