Published: May 20, 2008 02:13 am            

Westwood OKs construction firm

PALESTINE — With all of the construction poised to go on around Westwood, including the construction of a new field house and renovations to the elementary school, Westwood Independent School District trustees met Monday night to hear and consider construction manager at-risk proposals from two companies — Berry & Clay Construction and Timberline Construction.

“At-risk is a way to save money and expedite some construction costs,” WISD Superintendent Ed Lyman said. “It has some of the same securities as bidding but we’ll be able to bring in the company earlier in the design phase and a percentage of the project cost will be their fee.

“They also have a guaranteed maximum price, and it can sometimes save the district money.”

The trustees voted to approve Berry & Clay, who already is contracted to build the field house.

The company has done work on many projects around the area, including construction for Slocum ISD and previous renovations at Westwood. The company also was responsible for work at Trinity Valley Community College as well as the YMCA facilities in Palestine.

Another item on the agenda was the consideration of the drug testing policy of the FNF.

“The policy is basically going to stay the same but we want to expand the testing to students who park their vehicles on campus,” Lyman said. “The major purpose of this is not to punish the child, the major purpose is to get the child help.”

Lyman said he hopes that the new testing policy will provide deterrents as well as letting other students and parents know about it.

Toward the conclusion of the meeting, Lyman gave a slide-show presentation on a review of the district goals, which include — TAKS scores, attendance, and completion rates; qualified and diverse teaching staff; community partnerships and communication; facilities maintenance and improvements; sound fiscal status and a strong technology base.

Five new board members also were sworn in — Carolyn Mackie, Carey McKinney, Theresa Bambeck, Lisa Gilkey and Scot Kiser.

In other business, the board:

• RECOGNIZED retiring board members Wayne Duhon and Jay Patzke.

• HIRED Dana Perkins as the new head volleyball coach and Kevin Anderson as the athletic director effective June 1.

• APPROVED bid from Ranger Heat and Air for replacement of air-conditioning units at all campuses at a cost of $89,000.

• APPROVED the Student Transfer list for the 2008-2009 school year.

• APPROVED three new budget amendments, including over $7,000 for new copiers as well as construction expenses.

• APPROVED the sale of DVDs of the Westwood High School showcase as a fundraiser to help raise money for next year’s cheerleading camp.

• APPROVED the Anderson County Appraisal District Budget.

• ACKNOWLEDGED the “Leaver Code Procedures.”

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Sally Sexton can be reached via e-mail at sports2@palestineherald.com

        

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