School Board accepts bids for Hattie Watts project

A $1.99 million bid to build the 11,650-square-foot student assembly and physical education facility at Hattie Watts Elementary in Patterson was approved Thursday.
Architect Jim Firmin said crews should be ready to break ground on the project in 60 days with completion expected in January 2016.
Legacy Construction Services of Rossville, Tennessee, will construct the free-standing, single-story building consisting of a student assembly/physical education area, two classrooms, two offices and restroom facilities.
Plans call for it to be located near the kindergarten area of the school and connected to the main building via a covered walk.
This facility, along with a new junior high school to replace the existing Patterson Junior High School, are being paid for by a 15-mill property tax approved by voters in October that supports $21 million in bonds.
Patterson Junior High plans are on the drawing board, but Firmin said they are not complete.
In related matters, the St. Mary Parish School Board approved resolutions authorizing separate construction and debt service checking accounts related to the Patterson projects.
Chief Financial Officer Alton Perry said the accounts are necessary to keep bond money separate from other funds. Signatories on the accounts are Superintendent Donald Aguillard and board President Murphy Pontiff.
Also, the board introduced language to redefine the boundaries of Fifth Ward Special School District 1 so that its boundaries will be consistent with the boundaries of St. Mary Parish Ward 5.
Aguillard said the boundary change will add a few houses on one street.
In other action Thursday, the School Board:
—Adopted its $82.29 million 2014-15 general fund budget. Removed from the budget by a split vote of 6-5 were 3 percent stipend raises for elementary principals with student populations in excess of 500 students. The move affected three schools at a cost of $6,110. Voting for the removal were board members Joe Foulcard, Mary Lockley, Mike Taylor, Bill McCarty, Anthony Streva and Roland Verret. Voting to keep the stipend were Ed Payton, Murphy Pontiff, Ginger Griffin, Marilyn LaSalle and Wayne Deslatte.
—Learned from Aguillard that school enrollment so far this year is down. He expects the official Oct. 1 enrollment to decrease by 135 to 150 students. The Oct. 1 number dictates how much money is received from the state in Minimum Foundation Program funds.
—Authorized the purchase of 80 signs costing $3,600 warning drivers that cell phone use in school zones is prohibited.
—Approved an additional $24,000 for a handicap ramp at the Patterson High stadium and $60,000 toward the Berwick High handicap ramp, both from District 2 maintenance funds.
—Authorized District 3 to expend an additional $25,000 for 30 laptops at Morgan City Junior High, and $5,000 for additional painting at Morgan City High.
—Conditionally approved substantial completion of the Morgan City High library project pending approval from the District 3 committee, Aguillard, architect Carl Blum and Maintenance Supervisor Brad Wiese.
—Approved a change order on the same project correcting roof drainage, adding security for the library and handling unforeseen electrical work. That change order costs $26,800, bringing the total in change orders for the project to $48,000, according to Blum.
—Voted to upgrade the finance administrator position to a degreed payroll accountant thereby increasing the amount paid. Starting salary for the position will cost the board roughly $60,000 with benefits. Perry said the position has been advertised four times with little success. LaSalle said there are problems with work ethic and supervisory problems in the department and said adding another layer of supervisors at the Central Office Complex was not the answer. Taylor called the move “overkill” but said he couldn’t see another way to accomplish the task. The board voted for the increase 10-1 with LaSalle dissenting.