WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. August 1, 2006: The Board of Education approved a contract with the architectural firm of Kaeyer Garment & Davidson (Mount Kisco) last night defining fees the firm will be paid  if the Capital Projects Bond, currently projected to be presented to voters at a total of $66.7 Million, is approved by city voters. The Superintendent of Schools also indicated the district would push for an October referendum date. 

According to the contract approved last night,5-0, Michele Tratoros, Peter Bassano, Bill Pollak, Rosemarie Eller and Terry McGuire voted to pay  Kaeyer Garment & Davidson 8% of the Construction cost for construction projects under $5 Million, and 7% of the construction cost for projects over $5 Million. Donna McLaughlin and Rick Tompkins were not present.

Two projects in the plan cost over $5 Million: the new Post Road School ($39.4 Million) and the Loucks Field Renovation ($5.7 Million).  K.G & D would earn $2,755,130 of its fee (by WPCNR estimate) on the Post Road School construction and $404,442 on the Loucks Field construction.

 An actual fee figure was not in the contract, which states “After the approval of the bond referendum by the voters of the White Plains City School District, the above-referenced percentages shall be converted to a fixed lump sum.” Should the referendum not be approved, Kaeyer Garment & Davidson would be paid $50,000 for their work to date.

The $5 Million fee is a preliminary figure, based on the present cost estimates provided by Triton Construction to the Capital Projects Committee the night of July 20

Going to the Ref in October.

The School Board is considering pushing for a referendum on the bond this October, before the general election. The Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors said last night that the Capital Projects Committee will present its final recommendations to the district August 15.

The last meeting for deliberations by the Capital Projects Committee is scheduled for Wednesday evening at Education House at 7:30 P.M. Connors expressed the possibility that the Board of Education could consider the Capital Projects Committee recommendation in the last two weeks of this month and schedule a bond referendum vote in October.

Construction Cost Projections Included in New Bond Threshold.

Another factor in the “bond creep” is  the cost of construction, projected by Triton Construction as being 2% per quarter. That inflation rate, according to Terrance Schreurs, Assistant Superintendent for Business is built into the present $69.4 M estimate. The “Conceptual Estimate” presented to the Capital Projects Committee July 20 pegged the estimate at $69,366,748 , not $66.7 Million as previously costed.

That final figure depends on the Capital Projects Committee final decision on the Highlands Parker Stadium Project.  The committee as of July 20 was of a consensus to eliminate artificial surfacing of the Highlands Parker Stadium, and renovate the bleachers only. This may bring the cost back to $66-67 Million level.  No estimate has been prepared for executing the bleacher improvement only. If the Parker Stadium project is reduced by say, $2 Million, the Kaeyer Garment Davidson total fee for the entire project would reduce $223,817 to $4,874,150.

“Below Market”

Previously, the Board of Education had expressed reservations about the contract over “technicalities,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Terrance  Schruers told WPCNR last night. However, other than legal language there was no significant change from the terms of the deal. Peter Bassano mentioned that 80% of the architect’s fee would be paid when construction began, but did not provide details, however Bassano praised the contract payment arrangement as “below market” for services KG & D will provide as part of the project, but did not  provide details. KG & D is the only architect consulted on the preparation of the entire capital projects upgrade.

Schreurs said the 80% of fee arrangement for KG & D, the architect would be paid as the architects designed each separate project in sequence  – not in a lump sum.

The Breakdown

Chris Pearson of Triton Construction presented the following updated Cost Summary Conceptual Estimate to the Capital Projects Committee July 20. WPCNR has computed the architect fee associated with each individual construction project

School         Total Bond Cost          Architect’s Fee

                                                           (WPCNR Estimate)

Post Road

New Building     $39,359,008          $2,755,130

Mamaroneck

AVE School        $4,271,825            $ 341,746

High School

Lockers               $   500,250            $40,020

Infrastructure

Program

Church Street

School                $2,712,508             $217,000

Dammann

House Infra        $  198,387              $   15,870

District

Wide Infra          $  109,405              $      8,752

Eastview

School                $2,682,604            $214,608

Education

House                 $  142,664             $  11,413

George

Washington        $   402,609            $   32,208

High School

Infrastructure     $3,298,042             $ 263,843

Highlands

Middle School    $1,643,988            $131,519

Mamaroneck

Ave School        $1,784,172            $142,734

Ridgeway

School                $1,551,505            $124,120

Rochambeau     $1,259,321             $100,745

Site Development

Program

Loucks Field       $5,777,742            $404,442

Highlands

Parker Stadium    $3,672,717         $293,817

TOTAL COSTS                              ESTIMATED ARCHITECT FEE

As of 7/20/06        $69,366,748       $5,097,967

Parker Stadium

Cutback if full

Parker turf

Program eliminated  $1,000,000 (est)    $70,000 *

• Alternative upgrade to Parker Stadium has not been defined, this is an estimate of the architect fee only, if the district did $1M of repairs to the Parker bleachers.