State May Kick In More for Mount Greylock High Repairs
 |
The state School Building Authority denied reimbursement for about $123,000 worth of change orders and officials have been pleading their case to receive the 54 percent reimbursement. Initially school officials believed there was only $78,000 but that was only regarding the construction. School officials were later informed about another $45,000 in other costs the MSBA also refused to reimburse.
Now, school officials are still nearing the end of negotiations but don't have the exact dollar figure that will have to be paid for out of next year's budget.
"Sit tight. The numbers are moving every day. This is the latest but it could be something completely different next week," Building Subcommittee member Jenny Gerrard told the School Committee last Tuesday. "We went back on the construction side already and tried to argue our case about what should be eligible and as of this afternoon, I think we got a portion of that."
Gerrard and School Committee Chairman Robert Ericson have been pleading their case for many of the change orders. A $30,000 order for windows in the locker rooms will now be reimbursed and Gerrard said she saw a few other costs for which the school has a strong case to receive reimbursement.
A total of $123,000 in change orders were not reimbursed. That money has been paid and the 46 percent not reimbursed will affect the school's upcoming budget. Gerrard said the MSBA is in the processing of drafting another audit and the school will respond to that.
"We're in deep negotiations on how much the MSBA will refund to us," Ericson said.
The MSBA recently audited the expenses in the $1.5 million locker room and boiler repairs that began two years ago when the locker room's roof collapsed. Gerrard said neither she nor Ericson have had time to comb through the latest report and categorize those "other costs." The biggest issue, Gerrard said, is that the change orders for the project was "very high."
School officials are hoping to finish negotiations in January instead of "dragging it out," Gerrard said. The back-and-forth came as a surprise to some committee members, who said they were glad that they have the opportunity to win back some of those costs.
"I just think it is terrific that they are even willing to talk about it," School Committee member David Langston said.
Gerrard said the MSBA has been "incredibly helpful" in the negotiations and paperwork.
Tags: building project, MGRHS, MSBA,
