Superintendent Michael Johnson swears in new board members Mark Parker, Debi Wilkerson and Ashley Miller during the school board meeting on July 23. ALIYA HALL/THE CRESWELL CHRONICLE
Creswell School Board Director Mike Anderson was elected board chair for the 2019 school year during the July 23 special meeting, with board member Lacey Risdal elected as vice-chair.
The decision came after board member David Eusted declined a nomination for chair by Risdal which was seconded by new board member Debi Wilkerson.
”I really appreciate it 100% and it’s really nice, but at this time there would be a greater value if I worked in supporting the leadership role,” Eusted said.
With three new directors on board – Wilkerson, Ashley Miller and Mark Parker, who were sworn in by new Creswell School District Superintendent Michael Johnson – seasoned directors Risdal and Anderson decided it would be between the two of them who should be chair.
Anderson said that he has been board chair before and with all the personnel changes that have been happening, chair experience would be helpful. Risdal said she would be happy to serve as vice-chair.
Anderson was nominated for board chair by Risdal and the motion was seconded by Eusted; Miller nominated Risdal for vice-chair, and that motion was seconded by Anderson.
”I’m very excited about the coming year with this new leadership,” Eusted said as the motions passed.
MIDDLE SCHOOL RE-ROOFING
The board was then briefed by Joel Hidgon, school district director of technology and maintenance, about Creswell Middle School’s 2019 reroofing project. The school received just three proposals, which Hidgon said could be explained by the 25-year labor and material guarantee that the school is asking for – something that hasn’t been done before.
He added that the guarantee could also be a reason for the spread in proposal costs from the companies: Smith Sheet Metal, of Springfield, bid $677,160; TT&L Sheet Metal, Inc. of Beaverton, bid $448,804; and Amer-X Roofing, Inc., of Brush Prairie, Washington, bid $294,500.
Hidgon said that Smith is a large operation while Amer-X is a smaller father-and-son shop; he said he couldn’t find much information on TT&L. Schaber Roof Consultants, Inc. worked with the school district in reviewing the companies, and based off their scoring system, Amer-X had 130 points, TT&L had 120 and Smith had 110.
Reviews of the companies included reference checks by Hidgon, who said that comments about Amer-X praised their high integrity and said that they knew government work and had experience working with schools.
Anderson asked if the proposed costs included contingency funds if the companies found extensive damage beneath the roof, but Hidgon said it didn’t and they are hoping to not see any damage; from the attic’s underside, there’s staining but nothing serious.
Miller asked how long the process would take and Hidgon said the goal is to have primary construction done before school starts, with the team finishing up the roof in early September.
Parker said his only concern was the lack of digital footprint Amer-X had, as there is no website and not a lot of information or reviews online. In his research, he also found that the company wasn’t Better Business Bureau accredited, meaning the Better Business Bureau hasn’t determined whether the business meets accreditation standards.
Risdal moved to award Amer-X the CMS reroofing contract and Anderson seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
At the end of the meeting the board discussed training dates, and Anderson told the new board members to feel free and contact the other board members with any questions. Eusted added that the first year is a huge learning curve.
Eusted closed the meeting by saying that it’s ”a gift to be able to give back to the district and to our kids. Thank you for being part of this. Mike (Johnson), we’re very excited to have you on board.”
