Trustees opt for sealed bids for campus renovations
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

The Lampasas Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 4-3 Monday night to seek competitive sealed proposals for contracting services for renovations to Kline Whitis Elementary School and Lampasas High School -- which will become a middle school campus in August 2009.

Max Keele, Kirk Whitehead, Wesley Crow and Andrew Irvin voted for competitive sealed proposals, while James Briggs, Bill Haisler and Ron Farr opposed the measure.

Trustees who cast "yea" votes said they hoped to give local contractors a chance to do the renovation work.

"We had some contractors who really stepped up to the plate this summer when we had problems," Crow said. "I'd like to see some of the general contractors who really helped us this summer get a chance to bid."

Briggs said he favored hiring a construction man- ager at risk, as competitive sealed proposals would not assure a Lampasas company of receiving a contract.

"You don't have any way to guarantee a local's going to get it if we do a sealed proposal," Briggs said.

The process of receiving and evaluating proposals may increase the time and expense involved in completing the renovations, Superintendent Dr. Brant Myers said. LISD has hired a construction manager at risk -- Blair Williams, president of Baird/Williams Construction -- for the new high school and for building the new elementary school on Big Divide Road in the east end of the county.

Crow, however, said a local contractor probably could complete the work less expensively than a larger company from out of town.

Trustees unanimously voted to adopt the prevailing county wage rate -- as determined by the United States Department of Labor and the Davis-Bacon Act -- as the wage rate for the renovation work.

And in another unanimous vote, the board adopted the city of Lampasas' building code as the code applicable to the renovations.

In other business, the board approved an expenditure of $59,000 to create two storage rooms and two additional dressing rooms at Bozarth-Fowler Gymnasium. LISD will serve as the general contractor for the job, which will create 56 boys' lockers and 56 girls' lockers, along with toilets and showers in both the boys' and girls' dressing rooms.

Trustees said the project would help prepare for the school's conversion into Lampasas Middle School by the 2009-2010 school year. Athletes already need additional lockers, Crow said, as some team members have had to dress in bathrooms or classrooms.

"If we can get this done quickly, it will just enhance our ability to house students in the spring," when many more teams play than in the fall, Myers added.

Trustees approved the expenditure by a 6-1 vote, with Briggs casting the lone "no" vote. The board president said he wanted to focus on new campus construction first.

"This needs to be done," Briggs said of the locker room additions. "I just would rather have waited until we saw how we were going to come in on the two [new] schools."

In addition, trustees unanimously OK'd a proposal to replace an early-release date originally scheduled for March 14 with an early out on April 11. The April 11 early release will allow students from military families to attend a Fort Hood "Welcome Home" celebration that begins at 1 p.m.

In two related votes, the board adopted a resolution for a joint election May 10, 2008 with Lampasas County and approved a contract with the county for election services. The joint election will allow voters to cast ballots at one location for LISD trustees and for county-wide positions.

Trustees also voted 6-1 to cast 804 votes for Evan Stubbs, 803 votes for Milton Kellner, 708 votes for Dale DeShazo and 501 votes for Lawrence Hart in the Lampasas County Appraisal District election. Bill Haisler opposed the measure.

In an open forum, Walter Prugh told the board The National Banks of Central Texas is presenting a $1,000 donation on his and Ray Upp's behalf for construction of a security fence at the new elementary school campus near Kempner.

Also, Myers announced that resurfacing of the high school track has finished. The superintendent expects painting to begin next week.

"It's ready to go," he said. "As soon as we get the paint on it, we'll open the gates and let the public back on it."