Board moves forward

MEEKER I The Meeker school board agreed to begin moving forward on the repairs to the new elementary school but construction will only begin after a separate geotechnical firm reviews the building’s existing foundation.
The school board held a Sept. 20 workshop to discuss what repairs are needed to make the building safe for students and staff to occupy it again. Jim West, the school district’s “owner’s rep” gave the board an update on those needed repairs by phone during the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
West said he, SCI (the company making the design changes), and a representative from The Neenan Company (the original designers and contractors of the new school), met with state officials Sept. 27 to review SCI’s drawings, which were 95 percent complete, and discuss the permitting process.
According to West, he submitted the plans, using the original soil samples, for a partial permit to allow needed demolition to begin. West said if the new geotechnical firm finds problems with the soils, the permit would be amended.
West recommended the board offer a contract to CTL Thompson and allow them to review all the soils tests, reports and information before making a recommendation as to whether the board should use the soils information from Taracon, which was reviewed by HP Geotech, as part of the original plans, or drill new holes for samples to confirm the condition of the foundation.
The board agreed to contract with CTL Thompson and West said he, the new geotechnical company and Wayne Muir of SCI would meet Friday at the site to look at the slab in the northwest corner where there appears to be movement and where the culvert in Sulphur Creek has moved.
A special meeting may be called next week to hear the recommendations from CTL Thompson and decide what to do next.
The board also made the decision to enter into a contract with BCCI, a third party inspector who will work for the school district again (they were the original state-certified third party inspector which inspects the work being completed and  matches it to the drawings submitted). BCCI will be paid by The Neenan Company. West also recommended the SCI engineer be on site daily with BCCI while the repairs are being made, benefiting everyone, including Neenan, and the school board agreed.
In other business, the board voted 4-3 in support of Proposition 103, the only statewide issue on the ballot, which will raise sales and use taxes and Colorado state income taxes, to 1987 levels for the next five years. It is estimated the proposition would raise more than $500 million in the first year and more than $644 million in the fifth, all to be used for K-20 education.
Board member Ed Coryell, questioned if it was “appropriate” for the board to ask taxpayers to increase their taxes and voted against the resolution, along with board members Paul Neilson and Jerry Oldland.