BETHLEHEM AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD FACILITIES COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007

 

Dr. Joseph Lewis, superintendent of schools, called the meeting of the Board Facilities Committee to order at 6:40 p.m. on Monday, October 1, 2007, in the Cafeteria of Freedom High School. Present were School Board Members Michele Cann, Charlene Koch, Diane Rowe, Dr. Craig Haytmanek, Loretta Leeson, Judith Dexter, Joseph Craig, and William Heske. Also present were Dr. Joseph A. Lewis, superintendent of schools; Robert R. Gross III, associate superintendent; Thomas K. Washington, director of student services; Scott T. Gilliland, director of facilities and operations; Stanley J. Majewski, Jr., assistant to the superintendent for finance and administration; Michael W. LaPorta, principal of Freedom High School; Arif Fazil and Jim Hanna, district engineers (D’Huy Engineering, Inc.); James K. Newell, assistant supervisor of buildings and grounds, Kimberly Hayes, supervisor of dining services, Richard T. Agretto, director of special education, Robin Lutcher, director of information technologies, Mary Katona, assistant to the superintendent for curriculum and instruction; Ellis Katz, solicitor; and representatives from the press.

 

The following items were discussed:

 

DISCUSSION ITEMS –

 

Mr. Fazil explained agenda item A as a refresher for the board. He detailed the site plan for Liberty High School and stated that they were looking for a way to enclose the walkways for the Klein Center, courtyard, and Liberty Commons. The intent of the project was to “envelope” the entire school. He explained the gating and fencing system, cameras, and call boxes, and that all systems would be electronically wired into the existing system. He detailed the plan’s Elizabeth Avenue gates and entrance, stating that employees and delivery drivers would still have access to this area with Smart Card or call box. The call boxes would be acknowledged at the athletics office, dining services, and main office. The public would also still have access to the athletics office for ticket sales by way of the call box. Mr. Fazil then said that he has spoken with various city officials and they do not believe there will be any safety issues with the gating system.

 

Mr. Craig questioned where exactly the gates for the stadium would be placed as he believes this area serves as a “weak link” in the security aspect of the system.

 

Mr. Fazil showed the board where the gates would be and said that placement can be adjusted.

 

Mr. Craig then suggested that the gym classes and sports teams that use the stadium could use the middle access gates instead of the end ones.

 

Mrs. Dexter asked what the specific security concerns with the gates were and was concerned about the implication of fencing at the high school. She wants the least restricted environment possible for the students and facility.

Dr. Lewis referred back to the letter written by JoAnn Durante, principal of Liberty High School. In her letter, she stated that “administrators in agreement with the staff and supported by students, are involved in a 100 percent effort to maintain the main entrance of the Commons building as the visitor’s check-in location.” He then said that the main entrance of the school needs to be the “control area, much like tonight when we all entered Freedom High School through the main entrance.” Dr. Lewis continued to outline the letter from Mrs. Durante. It states that in less than month, there have been at least five separate security issues at the school, including a non-graduate under the influence of alcohol and other young adults with Protection from Abuse orders entering the campus. Fencing would force individuals looking to gain access to the campus to use the main entrance. The gates would be monitored by cameras. There are other options other than fencing, but the cost would exceed the budget estimate price of the fencing proposal within three years.

 

Mrs. Dexter said there have been no instances brought to her attention and that she is not aware of a security problem so large that we need to install gates. She recently visited Donegan Elementary School where she believes that security is a problem. She asked if we have greater concerns at other schools other than Liberty.

 

Dr. Lewis stated that there was one isolated incident that occurred at Donegan. Everyone who visits the school comes in the main entrance, with the exception of the family center. The installation of gates at Liberty still will not prevent all incidents. Right now, the campus has one hundred and seven entrances and it was the administrators’ recommendation to create secure first floor hallways.

 

Mrs. Dexter asked what evidence and what numbers support this; she explained that she did not see the reasoning behind spending the money on the gates.

 

Dr. Lewis answered that at this time, there is free movement in and out of all doors. It was also the driving issue of the matter.

 

Mr. Craig added that when he taught at Liberty High School, the two overpasses and the areas below were the main arteries, and they still are. Anyone can blend in with the hundreds of students passing in between classes and enter the school. Most kids can leave the school from that area as well if they decide to skip a class. By securing these areas, it would help direct outsiders from entering the courtyard, especially from off the parking lot.

 

Mrs. Leeson stated that currently the Klein Center was not being used due to construction. She asked Mr. Fazil if the students were using only the upper or lower walkways from the Lab Center. She further stated that Mrs. Durante was doing an excellent job with student and staff ID policies, and the students were using mainly the main door this year. Are we catching outside people because of these new procedures? Are the gates necessary since the door will be locked once construction is finished? She said that the campus is a free-for-all between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. because of the senior lunch privilege and other students leaving during that time. Anyone can enter the school at these times. She addressed Robert (Rocky) Sawyer’s letter about the smoking problem and drug arrests going on across the street from the campus. She said that we have issues outside of the area of fencing, and would like to see the current system in operation after the completion of construction before investing in the gates.

 

Dr. Lewis said that if the gates were installed now, a change order could be used to put the system in place.

 

Mr. Fazil said that he spoke to the Department of Education and the gates can be implemented with the current system under construction. He said that this was discussed with Mrs. Durante about two months ago and the administration felt that it should be installed as part of the renovations rather than later to avoid the accumulation of more cost. If it was installed after the completion of construction, there would be more cost involved, and the project would go out as a single bid. The school can look into just locking the doors, but the courtyard would still remain an open area.

 

Mrs. Leeson suggested waiting to make a decision until after the district’s finances were reviewed at the next finance committee meeting.

 

Mr. Heske added that all this is being done to gain better control of the school now before something terrible, like the Columbine disaster, happens. He reminded the board that waiting too long will add 20 percent to the cost of the project. “Do it now” he suggested, “It is something that cannot be ignored.”

 

Mrs. Cann said about 90 percent of the incidents happening are between students within the school. The Columbine disaster was fellow students attacking other students.

 

Mr. Heske stated that no system, no matter how you look at it, can be perfect.

 

Mrs. Cann continued on to say that she did not see the advantage, that the gating will not solve the current internal problems. She suggested doing away with the senior lunch privilege, gates or no gates. Lock the doors, install the cameras and call boxes, and unlock the doors with the changing of classes. If you [school] do not need it, do not spend the money.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that she understands the concern at hand, but asked if Liberty is the only school out of the 25 in our district that has problems. When she recently attended a meeting with Cabinet, she visited various schools and about eight to ten of them had doors propped open. She was allowed to freely enter the school with other people, and even had doors held open for her. She said that we need to come up with a well-designed plan and conduct some studies to see what is in the best interest of the district. She believes that it is also a student-on-student issue and suggested the use of metal detectors in the schools. She thinks that $400,000 is a lot of money to improve a problem. We need to address the real concerns right now. She questioned what other alternatives the district has looked at for security.

 

Dr. Lewis answered that additional monitors have been looked into, and if the gating system were installed, it would require the same monitors to be used. He added that Liberty High School is the only campus in the district that has multiple buildings.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that while this may be true, when recently attending a security meeting at Freedom High School, she witnessed doors propped open and unrestricted access.

 

Dr. Lewis said that he was not referring to propped doors. That itself was a different discussion that he has had with building principals on many different occasions. Teachers, administrators, and staff for example, cannot keep propping them open for easy access when coming in and out of the building for recess. Using the Smart Card system, like at the Education Center, would prevent this. They would have easy access to enter back into the building while still keeping the building secure. Again, Liberty High School is a multi-building campus with the passage of the students on the first level of the building by the sidewalks.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked what will happen to the parking off of Elizabeth Avenue as it was used for faculty parking before the start of construction. Currently, it is construction parking. If this area is closed off with gates, it will create another problem as parking is a large concern at the campus already.

 

Mr. Fazil informed her that the parking area will be restored and assigned faculty will have access through the gates with the Smart Card system. They will still be able to access this area.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked if handicapped parking would still be accessible; could these parking spaces be added for stadium events?

 

Mr. Fazil answered that handicapped people would still be able to pull in and park close to the stadium.

 

Mrs. Leeson said that these spaces should be designated spots, especially for when for visitors who are unfamiliar with the stadium attend events.

 

Mr. Craig said these spaces have been used for fifty to sixty years for handicapped parking. He asked Mr. Fazil what the plan was for the temporary parking along Elizabeth Avenue as this would be a prime area for handicapped accessible spots.

 

Mr. Fazil answered that the plan for this area was to return it to grass.

 

Mrs. Dexter asked if the gates would be subject to vandalism and eventually stop working properly.

 

Mr. Fazil said that anyone can vandalize a device to the point that it does not operate correctly.

Mrs. Dexter asked if any school district or business is currently using gates like the ones being suggested by D’Huy Engineering Inc.

 

Mr. Fazil explained that it would be a completely custom system. The individual components are used elsewhere.

 

Mrs. Dexter then asked if a service contact would be necessary.

Mr. Gilliland answered that we currently have a contact with SimplexGrinnell, and that there would be a nominal cost per device.

 

Mrs. Dexter requested the figure for the cost of increase.

 

Mr. Gilliland said that the inspection costs vary on the devices used and the size of the school. He will contact SimplexGrinnell for the estimated cost of increase after a count of how many devices will be used in the gating system.

 

Dr. Haytmanek said that this item will be added to the October 15, 2007, Regular Board Meeting agenda.

 

Mrs. Dexter requested that he poll the board for a vote before adding it to the agenda. After voting, it was decided by the board that this item will not appear on the October 15, 2007, Regular Board Meeting Agenda.

 

Mr. Gilliland explained all items within agenda B, Engineering Services – Capital Projects, for discussion for the October 15, 2007, Regular Board Meeting.

 

Mrs. Leeson, referring to sub-item c of agenda item B, development of a schematic master site plan for the Freemansburg/Farmersville road property, asked if the student enrollment figure projections were only provided in October.

 

Mr. Gross said that the enrollment projections were typically provided to the school district on October 1^st and February 1^st of each year. His office did receive the figures today, October 1, 2007, and were currently working to get them ready for next month’s meeting.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked if she was correct in stating that there was a decrease in enrollment according to the enrollment projections that were provided.

 

Mr. Gross said yes, but to date, he had not received the Pennsylvania State’s live birth data. This has a large impact on the projections.

 

Mrs. Leeson suggested that this was a premature discussion as we did not have the correct data needed to back up the need for a potential new school.

 

Dr. Lewis said that even before a school is built on the Freemansburg/Farmersville property, if that is what is decided, Ashley Development will be conducting all of the surveys required regardless. For the cost of $40,000 we will have a better chance of protecting our interests and future use of the property.

 

Mr. Gross said that according to his spring demographic plan, building capacities are reaching their limit and classrooms may need to be added. Home sales in the area are also up.

 

Dr. Lewis informed the board that these studies are already being done by Ashley Development and are required to reserve the sewage capacity that they may need in the future.

Mr. Fazil added that these studies being done will be to try and make sure there is reserve sewage capacity for the future. He also suggested that submitting a schematic plan to the township may help, and this would be reviewed with them. He reminded the board that for the Farmersville Elementary School project, the district was required to install sidewalks in an area of the community that has no other sidewalks. He said Ashley Development would do this work if it was required for the Freemansburg Road property.

 

Mrs. Leeson told Mr. Fazil that although she agrees with his advice, if the district does not know what type of school they will be building, if they decide to build a school, why throw money away now?

 

Mr. Fazil said that if they decide not to build on the property, the infrastructure devices would still increase the net worth of the property and make it useful for whatever it might be used for.

 

Mrs. Koch asked that if the studies were done for the district, would there be time restrictions attached?

 

Mr. Fazil said that he would suggest sitting down with the Bethlehem Township planning director to answer these questions. He would be making conservative assumptions relating to the studies. Right now, it is about the reservation of capacity for the storm water run off, sewage, and traffic.

 

Mrs. Koch said that she did not want to be obligated to anything. She was upset because she has already seen headlines in the Bethlehem Press stating that Bethlehem Area School District was building a new school. This information is not correct as nothing has been decided about the property.

 

Mrs. Leeson, referring to sub-item b of agenda item B, D’Huy Engineering Inc. designing and providing construction administration for district-wide Capital Improvement Projects, asked if the district has the money to commit to capital improvement projects.

 

Mr. Fazil said that money would cover any project, small or large, that was assigned by the board. For example, it was used when the curb at Fountain Hill Elementary School needed replacement and the Nitschmann HVAC system was added.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked why the board was asked to commit to a contract now.

 

Mr. Fazil stated that it was not specific to a bond fund.

 

Mr. Majewski said that the only source is in the capital reserve account and $1.3 million still remains.

 

Mrs. Leeson told him that the $2.5 million that was deducted still needs to be replaced.

 

Mr. Majewski said that these items will be discussed in further detail at the next finance meeting.

 

Mrs. Leeson said they would have to be discussed further before she would commit to anything.

 

Mr. Craig thought that the Farmersville/Freemansburg property studies should be done now rather then later due to all of the new developments exploding. He said that we may have a need for a new school with all of the families moving to the township, maybe even a kindergarten through eighth grade school.

 

Mrs. Rowe said she recently purchased a home and went into detail of all the new developments going up around her area.

 

Mr. Craig argued that all the communities will rise and there will be a need for a new school.

 

Mrs. Cann asked if the studies could be done a few years down the road. She asked if it would cost the same amount or substantially more.

 

Mr. Fazil answered that a downstream study alone could exceed the cost of $40,000. He said he was uncomfortable with the questions.

 

Dr. Lewis said that if Ashley Development put items where they wanted and the district did decide to build in the future, it may require items to be reconfigured which would be costly. The cost of the studies would be substantially more five to seven years from now. He asked the board to keep in mind that the township is not fully developed yet. Future housing developments would affect the student enrollment projections.

 

Mr. Gross went into detail of the enrollment projections per school year. He also said that the township was continuing to grow; there would eventually be a deficit of classrooms, possibly by 2012.

 

Dr. Lewis said that no one was taking into account all of the acres of unclaimed farmland.

 

Mr. Gross stated that we have to pay close attention to all developing land in Bethlehem, for example Martin Tower. There is not another place similar to that location in the district. We are not sure how many children will be entering the district as a result.

 

Mrs. Cann then apologized to Mr. Fazil for making him feel uncomfortable. She only wanted to address her concern of how much the cost of the studies would be a few years from now compared to the current price.

 

Mr. Fazil said that D’Huy Engineering Inc. will conduct the survey, trying to keep proposed costs to a minimum.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that we have always had a capital improvement plan in place. She asked, “How long are we committed to D’Huy Engineering Inc. for these projects?”

 

The solicitor stated that we are committing to agenda items A, B, and C. We are entering into contracts.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that she wanted the solicitor to address the wording in the contracts to make it more specific.

 

Dr. Haytmanek asked Mrs. Dexter if she wanted an option other then D’Huy Engineering Inc.

 

Mrs. Dexter answered that she does not want to commit to D’Huy Engineering Inc. forever. She would like to see it stand as project to project or possibly for six months at a time.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked if we were doing it that way now.

 

Mr. Gilliland answered that yes, we were.

 

Mrs. Leeson said that she likes D’Huy Engineering Inc., but does not want to commit to them forever either.

 

Dr. Lewis stated that it was not the board’s or district’s intention to commit to them forever.

 

Mr. Gilliland said that in all fairness to D’Huy Engineering Inc., Mr. Fazil would not want it either if he was not happy with the relationship with the school district.

 

Mrs. Koch corrected Mrs. Dexter by stating that we did not always have a capital improvement plan. Before D’Huy Engineering Inc. was signed on as district engineer, most of the school buildings were a mess. They have made exceptional improvements.

 

Mr. Craig said that he interpreted the contract as that we were locked into the 6.5 percent rate, not to D’Huy Engineering Inc.

 

Mrs. Leeson requested to poll the board regarding sub-item b of agenda item B. It was voted that D’Huy Engineering Inc. would provide the construction administration for district-wide Capital Improvement Projects for a fee of 6.5 percent of the project cost.

 

Mrs. Dexter then asked to poll the board regarding the contract language. It was voted that it is fine the way it is, but Dr. Haytmanek proceeded to ask the solicitor to review the language and “clean it up a little.”

 

Dr. Lewis polled the board on sub-item a of agenda item B, demolition of the old Northeast Middle School.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked if on site renovations for Nitschmann Middle School start, where would they put the kids? Would it be possible to use the old Northeast Middle School building to house the students of Nitschmann?

 

Mr. Craig suggested that by keeping the old school, it would hold up the Northeast Middle School project.

 

Mrs. Leeson said that she just wanted to ask to bring it up for discussion by the board.

Mr. Majewski said that the building capacity of Nitschmann Middle School is larger than the Liberty Freshman Campus and that all of the students would not fit.

 

Mrs. Koch said that the Nitschmann Middle School project is a few years away. By that time, the old Northeast Middle School will be in disrepair and the district would have to invest money into the building to make it useable.

 

Mr. Gilliland agreed that money would have to be put into the roof and heating system to be able to use it.

 

Mrs. Leeson suggested that this item be put off the agenda for a month or two. The demolition of the Liberty Freshman Campus is not happening right now. She proceeded to ask Mr. Fazil his opinion of this matter.

 

Mr. Fazil said that this agenda item could wait a few months.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that Nitschmann Middle School needs to be looked at if the new construction is going to be put off for six to seven years. The current maintenance issues at Nitschmann should be put to the front burner.

 

Dr. Lewis said that this item would be put back on the agenda after the new year.

 

Mr. Gilliland continued to explain agenda items C, D, E, F, and G.

 

Mr. Craig asked about item G, quotations solicited for the baseball backstop for Liberty High School. Would the site of the baseball field be moved because of construction? He does not want to see money invested in the backstop if there is the potential of it moving.

 

Dr. Lewis said the field would not be moved due to construction, and that erecting the backstop has been endorsed as the best possible solution since there was a safety concern involved.

 

Agenda item H was then reviewed and approved by the board.

 

AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE OCTOBER 15, 2007, REGULAR BOARD MEETING –

 

After discussion, the board committee agreed to bring the following agenda items to the October 15, 2007, Regular Board Meeting:

 

A.    Engineering Services – Capital Projects

B.    Authorization to Expend 2005 and 2007 Bond Funds – Liberty High School Additions and Renovations Project – Change Order

C.    Liberty High School Additions and Renovations Construction Project – PlanCon Part I Approval

D.   Authorization to Expend Capital Reserve Funds – Roof Repairs – Calypso, Farmersville, and Fountain Hill Elementary Schools, and East Hills Middle School – Change Order Deduct

E.    Authorization to Expend Capital Reserve Funds – Floor Repairs – Fountain Hill and Freemansburg Elementary Schools, and Freedom High School – Change Order Deduct

F.    Quotations for the $5,800 - $15,200 Cost Category

G.   New Broughal Middle School Construction Project – PlanCon Part G Approval

 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES –

 

No discussion.

 

COURTESY OF THE FLOOR TO VISITORS –

 

The board extended the courtesy of the floor to hear all of the public input. The following people addressed the committee with comments:

 

Irene Follweiler, 2222 Main Street, Bethlehem: Mrs. Follweiler commended the board on the discussion of the gating proposal around Liberty. She felt that it was a needed and welcome idea.

 

Mary Pongracz, 321 West 4th Street, Bethlehem: Ms. Pongracz addressed the board and stated she was upset and disgusted about the “character assassinations” that were taking place.

 

Mary B. Sawyer, 4271 Kathi Drive, Bethlehem: Mrs. Sawyer informed the board of all the “wonderful things happening at Liberty High School” right now. She then said how “scared” she was for the school district because of the recent “childish actions” of certain board members. The “mudslinging and dirtballs” they have been throwing at each other is an embarrassment and concerns her greatly.

 

Stephen Antalics, 737 Ridge Street, Bethlehem: Mr. Antalics questioned the board as to why the public was not invited to the tour of Freedom High School that took place directly before the board facilities meeting as they [people of the district] pay for those buildings with their taxes and would like to see them as well.

 

OPEN FORUM –

           

Mrs. Koch reminded all that there was no board finance meeting this month. When the meeting is held next month, she would like to see it take place before the facilities meeting. She would also like to address the “laptop issue” next month.

 

Mr. Heske informed the board that while at Calypso Elementary School last month, the univents ran so loud that it was difficult to hear anyone talking. He also stated that he knows this item is on a plan, but it should be a priority matter.

 

Dr. Lewis told him that he is looking to move that issue forward; it was previously discussed in a Cabinet meeting.

 

Mr. Craig acknowledged Deborah Campanella, coordinator of public relations, for recent publications of the school district’s that were commended in this months PSBA publication. He congratulated her and her department on a job well done. He continued to thank Mary Pongracz and Mary B. Sawyer for their comments addressed to the board earlier in the meeting. He said that everyone should be civil and more understanding towards others, and to let “people do their job.” He also said that there was a good way and bad way to ask questions to others.

 

Mrs. Cann congratulated Dr. Lewis on his recent election as president into the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools (PLUS).

 

Dr. Haytmanek also congratulated Dr. Lewis.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that she is happy with the positive changes that are going on at Freedom High School. She has heard great things and is excited that the student ID policy is being enforced. Parents have attended requested ongoing support and training for monitors. She also stated that the school resource officer has specific advice pertaining to locations of surveillance cameras. Senior lunch privilege is still a concern among parents. She suggested that the board should review policies adopted by other school districts regarding gang involvement and that we should develop a policy. Overall, she is enthusiastic about the teachers and administration at Freedom.

 

Dr. Lewis congratulated Mr. Michael LaPorta, principal of Freedom High School, on doing a good job. Dr. Dean Donaher, Mr. Robert Gross, and Mr. Thomas Washington are currently reviewing policies on gang involvement. He stated that gangs are here, and it needs to change. The board will review the senior lunch privilege; they are currently gathering information. There will be a meeting about this in the near future.

 

Mrs. Dexter stated that for the record, she had not requested anyone’s resignation. That statement was not accurate.

 

Dr. Haytmanek said that while he was away on vacation, his resignation was requested at the September 17, 2007, Regular Board Meeting. He continued to say that since Mrs. Dexter has been a member of the board, she has created turmoil and distracted much of the administration with “irrelevant matters”. He told her this was the main cause for Assistant Superintendent Mr. Tony Villani’s resignation.

 

Mrs. Leeson continued to say that this meeting was not to have “personal attacks on others” while Dr. Haytmanek was talking. She then got up from the board table and walked out of the meeting.

 

Dr. Haytmanek said this statement made by Mrs. Dexter was an attack on his integrity and was upset that his resignation was requested in the absence of his presence when he was not able to defend himself. There were only six members of the board present at that meeting on September 17, 2007. He questioned her motives and asked her to reconsider whose resignation should be submitted. He stated that perhaps should be hers.

 

Mrs. Dexter said that this discussion would be brought to a future meeting and then detailed the dates of happenings throughout the Mr. John Accera investigation and legal bills.

 

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:15 p.m.

 

 

Minutes prepared by:

 

__________________________________________________________

Kristen M. Snyder, Secretary to the Director of Facilities and Operations

 

 

_____________________________________________

Scott T. Gilliland, Director of Facilities and Operations