By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
During the last regular meeting of the 2014-15 year, the USD 489 Board of Education passed several much needed maintenance measures at Hays High School.
The only measure not to pass unanimously Monday was the repair of the Hays High Gym A roof at a cost of $5,000. The roof had been damaged in a recent storm, forcing repairs to be made. Fortunately, it was determined the damage was caused by weather, and the full cost of the repair — $109,695 — will be covered by the district’s insurance policy, excluding the deductible, according to Rusty Lindsay,director of buildings and grounds.
While the cost of the repair will be limited to the deductible, the measure brought about debate from the board about how the contractor was chosen.
Member Greg Schwartz argued the process should have been open to a bidding process, however due to the nature of the damage, and the repair being covered by insurance, the process was different than a regular maintenance project.
“There was no bidding because it was insurance,” Lindsay said, also informing the board that, in his experience, it is rare for bids to be sought for an insurance claim. The company that originally put the roof on the building, High Plains Roofing, was sought by the insurance adjustor and will be completing the repairs.
“That section was one High Plains had done, that’s why he contacted him to come back originally and that’s how they ended up with the quote. If it had been O’Loughlin, it would have been Roofmasters’ … ,” Lindsay said. “The adjustor didn’t require anything but just the one quote.”
The board also approved the resurfacing of the HHS running track. The track was built two years ago, but the top layer of the track was not fully installed to help stretch the cost over multiple years. The resurfacing will put another layer on top of the existing material.
Getting contractors to bid for the project was “tricky,” Lindsey said, due to the material necessary to pave the surface being required to be the same as what is currently on the track surface in order to maintain the warranty.
Lindsay said the project is scheduled for July 6 and was in the budget for the year. After the resurfacing, the track will be maintenance-free for at least three years, Lindsey said. The cost of the project is estimated at slightly over $80,000.
The board also passed changes to the lighting in Hays High, opting to continue upgrading lighting from the current bulbs to high-efficiency LED fixtures.
“We chose to go ahead and do the gymnasium project because that’s where the savings were at, but I wanted to go ahead and do the hallway project while the bids were still good,” Lindsey said.
The cost of the updated hallway lighting is estimated at $30,515.
While the project most likely will not be done by the time students return in the fall, Lindsey said it would be a minimal disturbance to students.