My brother’s face mimics my feeling when, yet again this morning, I stopped by the offices of School District 271 in hopes of reviewing documents about the decision to remodel Lakes Middles School vs. build a new building. The district finance officer, Steve Briggs, sent word out to the front desk that the info was not ready yet. I then asked to speak with Steve and was escorted to his office. He reiterated to me that there are no documents about the remodel decision. There were no bids. No RFPs (Request for Proposals). He nicely assured me that, because of my request, he’s now creating a new document explaining how that important decision was made. It will be done soon.
If this doesn’t bring about 31.1 million questions to your mind, do you have any other subjects to discuss?
The district’s lack of information comes as no surprise to me. I want to know what amounts were paid and to whom for the proposed replacement for Lakes Middle School on Person Field.
On another topic, I read in today’s Press legal notices that the Salvation Army Kroc Center has applied for a permit to drill a well to be used for heating and cooling purposes. I assume they are purchasing water from the city for general use.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 27, 2008 @ 2:06 pm
Susie, I’m surprised they’ve applied for a permit now, because they were drilling two weeks ago.
Comment by mary — March 27, 2008 @ 4:25 pm
Okay, if they didn’t do bids or quotes or RFPs, how did they arrive at the figure for the SPFL? How did they know how much they were going to need if they didn’t get estimates from some reliable third party? Then again, given the subterfuge SD-271 and the City engaged in to try and steal Person Field from the neighborhood, we shouldn’t be surprised. Is Briggs a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.? His explanation ought to be worthy of some kind of award in the category “Greatest work of fiction in a financial statement.”
Comment by Bill — March 27, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
Bill, they have architect Mike Patano’s estimates for what the new school will cost. That’s it. No bids for the new building yet, they will ask for those after the levy passes, I was told.
Comment by mary — March 27, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
Have not checked it out, but I suspect the application to drill a well for heating and cooling has to do with a system known as a heat pump which draws heat from ground water and injects it back into the ground. It is engineered to use for both heating and cooling. The Lake City High School has such a system.
Comment by Gary Ingram — March 27, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Mary, I now wonder how long the information you requested will take Steve Briggs to pull together. As I mentioned, an election is around the corner and the facts justifying a new building vs a remodel would be of great interest to the taxpayer. I have communicated with a person who helped build the middle school and he said it was built with the idea that it could be expanded in the future. To my knowledge it has no major structural problems. I was educated in the top public high school of my state. The building was beyond old. It has been maintained and remodeled through the years and now this 100 year old building is still a wonderful school. Of course this was in the Eastern United States where old is not considered worthless. Oh, did I mention that the 100 year old building in my birth town is still a fine school. I hope you can get to the core of the situation. Good Luck!
Comment by Mama Bear — March 27, 2008 @ 7:48 pm
mary wrote: “I’m surprised they’ve applied for a permit now, because they were drilling two weeks ago.”
FWIW, it is not unusual for it to be a couple of weeks between the permit application and its publication in the legal notices.
Comment by reagan — March 27, 2008 @ 8:19 pm
Often it sounds like our School District is ensuring that our students have the best architecture, latest technology, and most manicured settings where they attend school. When does the actual ‘eduction’ come into the picture?
Comment by Dan — March 27, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
Thanks, reagan, you’re probably right. That kind of paperwork always seems to take time. PS–I don’t know what FWIW means.
Comment by mary — March 27, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
FWIW = for what it’s worth 😉
Comment by Wallypog — March 28, 2008 @ 7:43 am
Thanks, Wallypog, now I can be up on the cool blogger lingo!
Comment by mary — March 28, 2008 @ 10:05 am
After numerous requests of SD271 to hold a meeting regarding the levy, I received this in my email this morning:
From J. Feiler (JFeiler@cdaschools.org):
“Yes, we will be holding a community information night/forum about the levy. We are planning to do so in early May but have not firmed up a date. I shall let you know when we do. Thanks for your interest.”
Hopefully, this meeting will be advertised so all concerned citizen voters can attend and ask their questions of the levy.
Comment by ShyAnn — March 28, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
TICK TOCK
Comment by Mama Bear — March 28, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
Mama Bear–I am so upset I need to wait until tomorrow. Tune in. You won’t believe how much information they did NOT give me in the letter the school district sent today.
Comment by mary — March 28, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
Please do not calm down too much. If the people living around Person’s Field calmed down we would have lost a park and have a housing comlex on the old site. If the people living in the Mica area calmed down we would be living with the school district owning 40 acres on the Flats for a highschool…no water, no sewer, and death to teens driving up a trecherous hill. Follow the money, follow the wishes of the developers and follow the Kroc Center and you will learn more about our school district. SAD SAD SAD What ever happened to the real kids of the school chldren, SAD SAD SAD should be made into MAD MAD and MAD
Comment by Mama Bear — March 29, 2008 @ 8:05 am
Correction..I was to SAD to proof read..Last line should read Whatever happened to the real needs of the school children.
Comment by Mama Bear — March 29, 2008 @ 8:09 am
Correction…I was too MAD to proof read. Too..not to.
Comment by Mama Bear — March 29, 2008 @ 8:11 am
You are correct, Gary, the water would be used for heat pumps. I cannot remember the issue of water or any utilities addressed so I found the permit request interesting.
Design competition was once the standard for publicly owned buildings. Mike Patano seems to be the architect of choice for the school district. Mike told me he does not favor the standardized school designs as adopted by Spokane. He also told me that he was instructed to design Lake City High School so that it could not be expanded. I gather that the district prefers many smaller schools with larger campuses. This might not be such good news for the taxpayers.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 29, 2008 @ 8:19 am
“Design a school that cannot be expanded?” What a great concept! I thought that CdA powerful wanted to increase the population of downtown and provide affordable work force housing. Seems like these work force people are not suppose to reproduce and fill up the schools. UNBELIEVABLE. Thank goodness for humor or we might cry.
Comment by Mama Bear — March 29, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
All talk and no action, since people who need affordable housing aren’t stakeholders in our city; they aren’t important. What we could do however is have local stakeholder Mike Patano design and build the workforce housing; then no one would want to buy it because it isn’t pretty enough or affordable. Did Tony Berns buy the unit recently sold at the Lofts so that Coeur d’Alene citizens’s will quit discussing all of the LCDC employees and board members who don’t reside in Coeur d’Alene? Mama Bear, unfortunately I must say the humor escapes me.
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — March 29, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
I was informed that regarding levy spending voting that the school district is in charge of all aspects of running the voting.
Question – Are informational flyers or any information regarding this levy being distributed only through the schools to the students to take home to their parents or to school staff? Some of us out here have no school connections, so if this information is being distributed, how can we who are out of the circle be informed? I keep checking my mailbox and have not recieved any information regarding this levy only what the school district has posted on their site. Again, I strive to be a responsible, educated voter on this issue.
Comment by ShyAnn — March 31, 2008 @ 10:02 am
I voted yes on the 2002 Levy to remodel Lakes Middle School but I am voting no May 20. The reason is simple, in 2002 people came out in record numbers and voted yes specifically because of the need to remodel Lakes. Lakes, at that time was number one on the list but the school district chose to use the money to build Altas Elementary, moderize and expand Project C.D.A. Alternative High/Middle School, moderize and expand Ramsey Elementary, and upgrade technology district wide. I do agree that the need was there for these other projects but the district basically used “Bait and Switch”. I do not think the 2002 levy would have passed if the district did not use Lakes Middle School as bait. Another reason I am voting no is because Hayden Elementary was closed after the opening of Atlas Elementary during a time of record growth in this area. It was extremely short sighted. Now they need another elementary school paid for by the up coming May 20 Levy. Those of you who have been around know the track record with the school district building new and closing existing schools. In 1990 the SPFL was used to build Fernan Elementary and Hayden Meadows. Harding Elementary was closed upon the opening of Fernan. The district claimed the building was to old. Somehow it was good enough to house Head Start. Harding has a Gym, Bryan Elementary does not but Bryan is a newer school. The school district also planned on closing Hayden Elementary at the same time but growth forced the district to keep it open until, as I previously mention, Atlas was opened. Those of you who go way back remember the closing of the Junior High on 7th Street. My memory is fuzzy but I believe it was after Canfield Middle School was built. I have to wonder if the school district will really use the money for Lakes this time around or is it another “Bait and Switch”. I can’t afford another $200 to $300 per year on my property tax. I feel I have already paid for Lakes in 2002. I am voting NO.
Why do we live in such a throw away society. It is sad that this district seems to think new is better. What about history. How wonderful it would be to walk thru the halls of the school you attended as a child with your grandchildren and great grandchildren and tell them stories and the fond memories your school holds. New is not always better.
Karen
Comment by iloveidaho — April 11, 2008 @ 10:07 am