New school contract draws board criticism
By Steve Herring
Published in News on January 13, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Wayne County Board of Education member Dr. Dwight Cannon Monday night questions how the board could vote on nearly $8 million for renovation projects at Spring Creek Elementary and Charles B. Aycock High School without a fuller discussion by the board.
The quick turnaround in approving $8 million in contracts for school renovation projects was questioned Monday by one member of the Wayne County Board of Education.
And that discussion prompted another to suggest that all financial and facility issues should be discussed by the entire board and not just in committee.
School board member Dr. Dwight Cannon, who said the entire board had not had time to properly study the proposals, did not vote on either contract. In accordance with board policy, his failure to cast a vote was counted as a yes.
Cannon said he was confident contracts for renovations at Spring Creek Elementary and Charles B. Aycock high schools had been thoroughly discussed by the Finance Committee.
But he said the entire board should have been afforded the time to look at the bid tabulations and to discuss them before making a decision.
The board awarded a $2,515,000 contract to low bidder Daniels and Daniels Construction of Goldsboro for renovations at Spring Creek Elementary School.
Low-bidder Bordeaux Construction Co. of Durham was awarded a $5,549,650 contract for the Aycock project.
In both cases, the contracts were approved contingent on a favorable review by board attorney Jack Edwards and approval from the Local Government Commission.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Sandra McCullen said Daniels and Daniels is ready to start on the Spring Creek project.
The company's bid, which was below what had been expected, had been discussed by the Finance Committee, she said.
Finance Committee Chairman Arnold Flowers made the motion to accept the bid. It was seconded by board member Jennifer Strickland.
Before the vote, Cannon wanted to know where the bid numbers were that Mrs. McCullen had mentioned.
Mrs. McCullen said they were recommended by Moseley Architects, but that the company had failed to list the numbers on the information sent to her. She said she had pulled the figures off the proposed contract the architects had provided.
Also, the bid tabulation was not included in board members' agenda package, she said.
"I feel very uncomfortable voting on this just getting this now," Cannon said. "I have an issue with that. It is like it is just being pushed through.
"I would have loved to have weighed the numbers. I would have loved to have seen these numbers. You called them out."
Mrs. McCullen agreed that the tabulation sheet should have been included in the agenda package. It had been discussed in the Finance Committee, she said.
"Yes, but I thought we agreed that when committees meet they would make the entire board aware of what is going on," Cannon said. "You met. You understand it, but I don't because I am just getting it now.
"I understand that the committee has approved it, and I respect that. But I would have hoped we would have gotten an email or package earlier so we could have looked at this. That is a lot of money we are pushing through."
Cannon said he didn't see anything wrong with awarding the contract, but that it made him nervous nevertheless.
Flowers said he agreed with Cannon.
"He has not seen these numbers," Flowers said. "Almost from the very beginning of my sitting on this board I felt that finance and facilities needs not to be in committee. It needs to come to the entire board."
Cannon raised the same concerns about the Aycock contract.
Bid tabulations for that project were just received last Thursday, and had not yet even been discussed by the Finance Committee, Mrs. McCullen said.
Board Chairman Chris West said the bids were taken just 30 days ago after the original bids came in some $700,000 to $800,000 over budget and were rejected.
Four of the initial seven companies submitted bids in the second round, West said.
Also, the project was scaled back some as well, board member Rick Pridgen added.
Having to rebid the project has placed it months behind schedule. That has necessitated the quick turnaround if the county wants to still meet the original completion deadline, West said.
The original bids were discussed by the Facilities Committee, which had pared down the project, he said.
That committee is comfortable with the new bids even though there had not been enough time for them to go before the Finance Committee, he added.
Flowers then made the motion to accept the bid. It was seconded by Mrs. Strickland. It was approved 7-0 even though Cannon did not cast a vote.