Superintendent Szymoniak grateful for citizen involvement
At Monday nights Onaway Area Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Bob Szymoniak said he would like to ?thank Chad Chapman for continually coming to board meetings and expressing his displeasure over where the school board was in the process of the bond issue.? Chapman’s persistance will save the district $20,000. ?What he did was, he made us better, and I really appreciate that he did that.?
Szymoniak went on to say that after Chapman’s recent comments at a board meeting regarding what he considered to be excessive costs of construction management on the project, Szymoniak contacted some other Michigan school districts who recently passed bond issues, and asked them what percent of the total bond project they were spending on construction management. Based on their answers, he discovered that Chapman was correct, and the average expense was 5.5%, not the 6.6% that Wolgast Corporation was charging Onaway Schools. ?I contacted Wolgast, and asked them to get the number down to 5.5%,? said Szymoniak. ?They were very good about it. And Chad did a wonderful thing for us,? he added. The board passed a motion that an addendum to the original Wolgast contract be signed by Superintendent Szymoniak at the 5.5 % figure.
In a related item, Tony Khalil, an architect from Wakely and Associates, spoke to the board regarding the bond proposal, and displayed an architectural drawing, comprised from information gleaned after many hours of interviews with the Onaway School staff, and approximately two days of walking through the current building, taking pictures and measuring. While Khalil admitted they have a long way to go, he says the process is moving along nicely. After two more meetings with the staff, during which they will be able to communicate their needs and give feedback on the plan so far, Wakely and Associates will refine the plan. ?Hopefully, by January 8th, everyone will be in agreement, and then the completed design development
Wolgast Corporation will be in charge of putting the project out to bid, in trade magazines, as well as locally. The school board and Wakely and Associates expect to be able to conclude the bidding process by mid-May, with construction starting in early June. In other business, two Cardinal pins were presented for outstanding committment to the children of the Onaway School System.
Sharon Lyon was recognized for work in improving staff morale and many years of excellent service. Monique Dean was acknowledged for her leadership and behind the scenes efforts in Onaway Elementary School. by Charlene Smith, Staff Writer
