Marblehead school board holds forum on Village School project

MARBLEHEAD – In what appears to be their final report to the School Committee, the Marblehead Village School Building Oversight Committee offered the School Committee the choice of whether or not to do additional brick work and window replacement at the school.Committee Chairman Mike Rockett visited the School Committee Thursday to point out that his committee and the general contractor overcame the problems of renovating a school that was in use and wound up with a project that the Massachusetts School Building Authority is touting as an example for other communities to emulate.Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac predicted that the renovate school would last the town “50-100 years.”However, the Village School Committee also faced questions from School Committee member Dick Nohelty about the School Committee?s apparent lack of information and control over change orders at the Marblehead Village School project.Nohelty pointed out that the project was $3.5 million under budget and this summer $1 million worth of change orders were proposed for the brick work and windows.?When does something like that come before the School Committee?” Nohelty asked.Rockett told him the two work items are actually additional projects that did not fall under the scope of the original work, and they would be bid out separately “if you want to do it.” However, both would qualify for 40 percent state reimbursement.School Committee members unanimously approved a policy on subcommittees that specifically mentions “reporting responsibilities.”However, Village School Committee member Rob Dana, a former School Committee chairman, told the School Committee, “I would not put the burden on a building committee to do a whole lot of reporting.”?As far as having every change order approved by the School Committee, I wouldn?t do that either,” he said. “A lot of change orders are due to surprises that come up during construction.”Rockett said the next building committee could make monthly reports to the School Committee – but he pointed out that the Marblehead Veterans Middle School Building Committee discontinued that practice because the School Committee members weren?t reading the reports.As to ways the School Committee can keep informed about construction projects, Dana suggested that as stewards of the taxpayers? money they can show up at building committee meetings or call the chairman and ask to walk through the site.