Area veterans interested in maintaining local inpatient care have an effective advocate in the American Legion.Fort Wayne Community Schools board members will be asked today to hire a consultant to oversee design plans for the district’s $119 million building improvement project.
Voters approved a referendum by a 2-1 margin in May to proceed with improvements at 36 schools.
Kathy Friend, the district’s chief financial officer, said she will recommend hiring Brailsford & Dunlavey, a Washington-based firm, to serve as program manager. The firm would collaborate with Fanning Howey, an Indianapolis architecture firm, and Blundall Associates, a Fort Wayne construction cost consulting firm.
She said Brailsford & Dunlavey was one of four firms to respond to a request for proposals issued in July and the one with the most experience in coordinating school projects with a design-build approach, which might be used on individual projects to trim costs.
The contract is based on a limited per-hour charge likely to amount to about $1 million, or about 1 percent of the total project cost. Additional contracts in construction management are likely.
Board President Mark GiaQuinta said he believes it is a good idea to hire a program manager, given the scope of the work and the fact that some of the work will be done at very old buildings and some at 1970s-era buildings.
Friend said that the board will have a public work session Sept. 6 to learn about the project options. With feedback from that session, the program manager can proceed with proposals and construction could begin next spring. She expects the work to extend over three to four years.
Conventions
The Republican National Convention begins today in Tampa, Fla. – weather permitting.
The Indiana Republican Party has a website for news about the Hoosier delegation.
The address is HoosiersInTampa.com.
Mitt Romney will deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Romney will speak at another convention – the American Legion National Convention in Indianapolis.
President Obama is not going to attend in person but will address the Legion convention in a video broadcast on Tuesday.
