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Schedule 'tight' to get career center finished on time
Lana Sweeten-Shults
Times Record News
It will be a tight squeeze to finish the Career Education Center - a 123,000 square-feet facility the Wichita Falls ISD is touting as its "community showpiece" - by the time school starts Aug. 17.
With just a little more than 100 days left until the project is set to be completed in mid-July, the district on Monday met with stakeholders to discuss "the critical path" WFISD would take to complete the project.
"We won't have an issue with starting school on time," Associate Superintendent Peter Griffiths said.
Still, board trustees at a special session Tuesday seemed concerned that the project would not be finished when that first bell rings for the 2017-18 school year.
Trustee Bob Payton said he was hearing more concern from board members than construction personnel, perhaps because he didn't have the same information they did.
"Let's share some information back here," he said.
"I'm hearing different things," board member Bill Franklin said of conflicting information at the meeting.
Griffiths reported the district hopes to have full power to the building by April 7, that the facility will be fully dried-in by April 14 (when the structure won't be exposed to the elements and interior work can get going), and for furniture to be delivered beginning in mid-July.
Griffiths said the district is planning to meet with the city to discuss getting a temporary certificate of occupancy "to allow additional move-in needs."
Also, additional concrete will be poured soon in and around the facility, and weekly meetings have started (instead of meetings every two weeks).
The CEC project has been set back by about a month because of rain.
Franklin asked Trinity Hughes/Sundt construction project manager David Musch where the CEC schedule stands.
"To be perfectly honest, it's pretty tight," Musch said. " … We are working as quickly as we can while trying to maintain the highest quality. … Everybody's got to work together to get this thing finished in time."
"Is there a firm schedule to get us there?" Payton asked.
Musch said that the schedule is fluid and will need to adjust to the conditions on the site.
"Our city inspections and ability to get the TCO, is that the long pole?" Payton said.
"Not necessarily," Musch answered. "I feel like we have a good team."
Franklin worried, with spring here, rain could delay the project even more.
Musch said, with the weekly meetings in place, the team can make sure completion dates are met. They are also looking at ways to accelerate the project.
"These are smart guys," Superintendent Michael Kuhrt said of the project team.
Trustee Elizabeth Yeager asked, "If the schedule slips … and we don't get students in there by Aug. 17, what's our contingency plan?"
"We don't have one yet," Kuhrt said.
Franklin added, "It's extremely important to the community that we get this done right and finished on time."
Also at the meeting, the board discussed purchasing furniture for the CEC.
The administration is asking trustees to approve the purchase of furniture from KI for almost $1,075,000 to furnish 20 classrooms, one banquet/multipurpose room seating 210, five computer labs, 24 offices, one large conference room, a bistro and other spaces.
Michelle Wood, the district's career and technical education coordinator, said the budget included around $1 million for furniture, "so we're right at it."
The total budgeted for furniture, fixtures and equipment for the CEC, Wood said, is $2,078,000.
"This (the furniture purchase) is a big chunk of it, a little more than half. What's left is about $1 million to cover technology to go into the building," Wood said, which includes items such as computers, furnishing the science lab, washers and dryers. "We have them itemized out. We're still good with the FF&E."
Synthia Kirby, CEC principal, said, "We are working hand-in-hand with our teachers with equipment."
Wood and Kirby told the board about the kind of furniture that will go into the CEC.
Kirby said the furniture team wanted to keep it simple: "If we need to move tables and chairs, we can do that."
Tables will be nesting tables so they can be easily stowed away, Wood said. Most of the chairs are on polyurethane casters, so they can be moved.
Some pieces of furniture can be used multiple ways, such as one that can be used 13 different ways. Students can sit on one chair, for example, the traditional way or they can settle in on the chair backing or even on the chair arms.
"They're going to put their feet in the chairs, and we have to be OK with that," Wood said.
Teachers and students also will see rolling whiteboards instead of traditional chalkboards.
Chief Financial Officer Tim Sherrod said the district was able to save about $90,000 in furniture costs by working with a purchasing cooperative and another $27,000 on soft costs. All KI furnishing will be completed through cooperative purchasing agreement with National Joint Powers Alliance. All non-KI furnishings will be purchased through an agreement with TIPPS/TAPPS.
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