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ROARING SPRING - Spring Cove School District will hire away at least three staffers from a regional special-education program next week to begin a local replacement, the school board agreed Monday.
The hirings, set for approval at a voting meeting next Monday, would be the first for Spring Cove's proposed Life Skills program. Currently run by Intermediate Unit 8, a regional education authority, Life Skills teaches children with learning disabilities to better participate in work and their communities.
But at Monday's meeting, two parents of a Life Skills student - one of them a district counselor - questioned administrators on their public silence until the program takeover was nearly underway. While a related program for an expanded kindergarten has prompted parent polls and requests for public participation, they said, Life Skills parents received little information and had no say in the change.
"Why wait until the eleventh hour to bring this to a vote?" asked Stephanie Thompson, a school counselor, of the March 18 vote to secede from the IU-8 program.
Thompson criticized Superintendent Robert Vadella for focusing on hoped-for monetary savings, rather than benefits to Life Skills students, in his proposal.
"I have to tell you how disheartening it was to see slide after slide of financial figures," she said.
In a March presentation, Vadella said the change could save as much as $150,000, particularly if neighboring districts join Spring Cove and agree to send their Life Skills students to the newly independent classes.
Thompson's husband, Jeff Thompson, cited a school board policy that encourages "community engagement" and collaboration, something he said Life Skills parents weren't offered.
Vadella said three Life Skills educators have agreed to transfer to the district program, with more possibly to come. The district is awaiting answers from some neighboring schools on whether they'll join with Spring Cove, he said.
"We didn't take this lightly," he said in an address at Monday's meeting. "If we save those local dollars here, it's possible we could spend them on another local program."
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Spring Cove to hire for Life Skills program
Angela Knight has forged a career on defending the seemingly indefensible, having fought for the Tories in John Major's government, then the banks just after the financial crash, and now the energy companies.
"It is true and I put it on my CV - I do difficult jobs," she quips. Knight is currently chief spokesman for the energy industry as head of the Energy UK trade body, not the easiest industry to represent in the public eye.
After a string of news stories about rising bills, Labour leader Ed Miliband set public debate alight about energy companies last September with his pledge to freeze energy bills for two years.
Knight praises the Labour leader for "sensing the mood" among consumers about rising bills, adding: "Nobody was talking about the reasons for the price rises." Miliband, she says, seized a "god-given opportunity of something people dont like, an industry you can pin it on and the government of the day not actually framing particularly strongly in that policy area, and then ka-boom!"
The 64-year-old unsurprisingly shares her industry colleagues' scorn for the pledge, quipping that she thought he would announce it this September rather than last year "as you'd only have five months before the general election for it to then unravel".
Does she share Energy secretary Ed Davey and energy giant bosses' concern that the move would increase the chances of blackouts breaking out across Britain?
"We do have to be careful what we do and how we do it. You don't need much in there to cause investors to say 'I think I'm going to wait to see what happens'."
Scottish Independence? 'It's A Bit Of A Nightmare'
Many businesses have already warned that Scottish independence could cause major uncertainty for their operations, how does Knight feel?
Knight struggles to hide her concern about the administrative complications, suggesting that it could increase costs for the energy companies that they may have to pass to consumers.
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Defending The Banks And Now Big Energy, Why Does Angela Knight Do It?
By Suzanne Baker sbaker@stmedianetwork.com April 15, 2014 1:32AM
The School District 300 administrative offices have moved from this wing of Carpentersville Middle School to temporary quarters into Hampshire High School. This structure will be for special education and problem behavior students. | Sun-Times Media file
storyidforme: 65004032 tmspicid: 22585303 fileheaderid: 10871612
Updated: April 16, 2014 2:36AM
ALGONQUIN Plans have taken a step closer to fruition by Community Unit School District 300 to build a new administration building in Algonquin and revamp the former central office space in Carpentersville for use by the districts alternative school.
The school board Monday night awarded the first of two sets of bids totaling $1.64 million for the construction of the new central office building, just south of Jacobs High School. The cost, which accounts for 31 percent of the overall projected $5 million to $5.5 million, will pay for excavation, site utilities, improvements, asphalt paving, landscaping, building concrete, masonry, structural steel, roofing and plumbing.
In addition, the school board on Monday also approved spending $489,637 on the first phase of work on the new home for the Oak Ridge Alternative School in the building adjacent to Carpentersville Middle School. The cost includes demolition, general trades, metal studs, drywall, acoustic ceilings, flooring and painting, and represents 40 percent of the overall project. The renovations are estimated to cost between $1.2 million and $1.5 million, which would be offset by the sale of the Oak Ridge property and a $50,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Earlier this year, the school district closed on the Oak Ridge School property, on Lake Marian Road in Carpentersville, selling the site for $750,000 to the Childrens Home and Aid Society, which plans to build a preschool there. Starting in the 2014-15 school year, the 78 special education and problem behavior students who had been housed in a mobile classroom unit will move into the renovated space at 300 Cleveland Ave. With the work, the alternative school will have larger classrooms, more space for small group of students to work with teachers, a nurses office, larger cafeteria, and access to use the Carpentersville Middle School gymnasium for physical education.
School board member Joe Stevens, who is co-chairman of the boards Construction and Facilities Oversight Committee, said that while bids for the renovation work came in slightly more than anticipated, bids for the new construction came in less than expected.
In a memo to the board, Susan Harkin, the districts chief financial officer, said that based on bid results for the first phase and the estimated cost of the second phase, the central office building is $117,763 under original estimates, unlike the renovation work on the former administrative office building on Cleveland Avenue that is coming in $86,039 over budget estimates.
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D300 OKs $2.1 million in construction bids
The group representing Montgomery developers has accused the county of accumulating large cash surpluses through excessive fees for building permits and inspections necessary to complete construction projects.
The Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association asked County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) to revise the fees established by the Department of Permitting Services. The department, which is responsible for processing and approving construction plans, is projected to collect $42.5 million in fees $13million more than its original estimate for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
Robert Kaufman, the associations vice president for government affairs, said in written testimony submitted to the County Council on the fiscal 2015 budget that the fee structure is raising construction costs at a time when Montgomery is seeking to improve its economic competitiveness.
The permit fees paid come from the pockets of County homebuyers, businesses, property owners, tenants and our residents who make the conscious decision to relocate, expand or grow in Montgomery County, Kaufman said.
The associations protest is noteworthy, in part, because its membership includes some of the heaviest contributors to county political campaigns. Their pitch for lower fees comes two months before the June 24 Democratic primary.
Last year, after intense industry lobbying, Leggett agreed to lower two types of charges: fees for permits to build certain types of wood-frame apartment buildings and fees to support the departments IT operations.
But Leggett said Tuesday that he wanted to see a detailed study of the countys fee structure scheduled to be conducted this year before agreeing to further reductions.
We need to look at this comprehensively and not just pull at the threads, he said.
Unlike most county departments, Permitting Services depends entirely on user fees, and it receives no money from the tax-supported general fund. For several years 2007 to 2011 the agency operated in the red, a product of the economic slowdown and internal problems in collecting revenue.
In the past three years, however, the agency has been relatively flush, running up tens of millions in fund balances. The departments director, Diane Jones, said that fees were not raised and that the revenue stream reflects the ups and downs of the construction market.
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Developers target Montgomery County construction fees, surpluses
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(BPT) - Whether youre staying in place or planning to take advantage of an improving real estate market to sell your home, spring and summer are upgrade seasons. From adding a bathroom to creating an outdoor kitchen, certain improvements pay off for both homeowners who are selling and those who are staying. And while plumbing challenges, such as breaking through concrete or opening walls, may discourage some people, savvy homeowners know a tried-and-true option solves such problems.
Above-floor plumbing can make it easy and cost-effective to achieve a number of plumbing-related improvements that add both value and enjoyment to a home, says Chris Peterson, Western regional sales director of SFA Saniflo Inc., a manufacturer of above-floor plumbing products. Plumbing is integral to some of todays trendiest improvements, like outdoor kitchens and second-floor laundry rooms. Choosing above-floor plumbing for these and other improvements means homeowners can make the alterations quickly, too.
Above-floor plumbing encompasses both macerating systems for toilets (also known as up-flush plumbing) and drain pumps for kitchens and sinks. While traditional plumbing may require homeowners to take the risk of cutting into a concrete foundation or endure the inconvenience of opening walls, above-floor plumbing eliminates those concerns.
Here are five hot summer home improvements that you can complete faster, easier and with less cost using above-floor plumbing:
Create an outdoor kitchen
Outdoor cooking areas, complete with sinks and wet bars, are in-demand improvements that boost home value. Often, the improvement starts with an existing concrete or brick patio, or wooden or composite deck. Traditional plumbing would require a contractor to break up patio material or cut into decking to accommodate pipes. Saniflos drain pumps make it possible to easily and efficiently install a fully functional sink without the need to disturb existing outdoor structures. When adding a new structure, above-floor plumbing can help reduce costs and construction time for sink installation.
Add a wet bar
What man cave or media room would be complete without a wet bar for entertaining? These rooms are not usually plumbed, and they are often in basements or on the first level of a slab-on-grade home where adding traditional plumbing would mean cutting into a concrete floor, which comes with a host of risks and inconveniences. Above-floor plumbing makes it possible to add a wet bar on a first level or in a basement entertaining area without having to cut concrete, and in upper-level rooms without having to rearrange the room to tie into existing pipes behind walls.
Second-floor laundry room
While many older homes have laundry facilities in basements or on the ground floor, demand is rising for laundry rooms that are on the same floor as bedrooms. Second-floor laundry rooms are a hot trend in new construction, but its also possible to renovate an older home and move the laundry upstairs. Traditional plumbing might require a homeowner to locate a second-floor laundry room adjacent to or even within an existing bathroom to take advantage of proximity to pipes. Above-floor plumbing makes it possible to locate laundry facilities where homeowners most need them.
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Outdoor kitchen? Second-floor laundry? How to easily achieve summer's hottest home improvements
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Repairs, upgrades and replacements in Oswego School District buildings and other facilities could cost nearly $8 million, school district board members were advised this past week.
A list of prioritized projects prepared by members of the district's Citizens Advisory Facility and Planning Committee was submitted to the board for discussion.
The total cost for all the projects was estimated at $7.8 million by Mike Barr, director of facility construction and development; Bill Baumann, director of operations; and Pat Dacy, assistant director of facility construction and development. They conducted an evaluation of all property in the district, which was submitted to the committee for review and recommendation.
The school district operates a total of 22 schools.
The three officials toured each building and met with the administrators and building engineers at each school, to survey conditions.
They also received assistance from engineers, architects, and contractors in preparing a list of major needs and concerns for each building.
Officials said the district has $7.2 million in funds remaining from past construction projects.
They include projects from 2007 through 2013 that came in under budget, and a balance from bonds sold for the recently completed additions to the district's two high schools.
Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wendt said he and other staff members reviewed the committee's recommendations and trimmed the list to 13 projects with an anticipated cost of $3.6 million.
Board member Greg O'Neil said he was opposed to using the remaining funds from the high school addition projects for repairs to other facilities.
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Committee lists $7.8M in school facility upgrades
