can read it off. >> Marcy has the official one right there. >> That's fine. That's That's good enough. >> I get you. You've done this before. >> That's good enough. >> Mhm. >> Whatever works. >> Long as you get those kids to Ohio and back, >> right? >> All right. We're ready. It's all you, Mr. Martin. >> Let's do it. Okay. >> In the absence of Mr. Saddowski, we do have a quorum so we can have a meeting of the operations committee and [snorts] as it says everybody is welcome. Wonderful day. So call to order. Roll call. >> Brad Karen Kger present >> and I Charlie Martin. So we have a a quorum. Mr. Sidowski is elsewhere. Um so we can move along. Approval of the agenda. >> Seconded. >> All favor. >> Done. Approval of minutes. >> So moved. >> Second. I. All in favor? >> Approve. >> Approve. Yay. Here. >> Doesn't appear to be any public comments to our employees. Uh >> they won't say anything bad. Um [clears throat] [snorts] presentations. There you go. >> Great. It's in my court now. >> It is. >> Welcome. Um just uh not too much to update since last month. Uh we still have applied for that grant. We'll wait back and hear from that in the fall. Um progress has begun on the FCS room transformations. Uh all the lower cabinets, all the equipment, everything in both rooms has been removed and as bestice abatement begins Monday morning and that will happen through the next two weeks and then the contractors come in to start, you know, tearing everything else apart and putting everything back together. So, >> have you uh considered at all any of the NBIT students who might help in this project? Um because you know there are plumbing and electrical in there and I said something to Mark about it and I said what a great opportunity to give some of these kids a real life >> experience. Um I don't know whether it was too late but that's a great idea but >> I know they don't have certification but maybe is doing monitoring or >> some project >> Mr. Greenwood and I had to talk about that the other day. I believe at this point with them being basically done to set up that process for this year would be too late. But I think it's something we can look at to look at and I can reach out to MBIT next year as we develop projects and if we can make that happen, I believe we're on board. Uh we believe our insurance covers it because it'd be just like an internship. Um so I believe it's something we need to identify beforehand so we can figure out what it is. But it's something we will look into in the future. So it's a good idea. >> I think that's something if you keep Billy keep it in Billy's head, right? As as the electrician as our head electrician guy, right, to oversee those things that you when he foresees an opportunity when he oversees those options. >> You want to also reach out to Mark and say we want to keep this on your radar as well as ours. That here's an opportunity. >> Definitely do that. So, any other questions with FCS or anything like that? Um, capital updates, no changes at the moment. There's um that's the it capital one that you've located. Shoot. >> Yeah. I have a question about the loops over the middle schools. >> What is that? Is that targeted in >> um Yes. So if you look at >> schools up and running again, >> can you repeat that? >> My understanding is the schools the uh the swimming pools in both the middle schools are shut down. >> Yes. >> Because of issues >> mostly. >> They're shut down because of of you know maintenance of cost and and neglect. Right. the the interior roof, the the hung ceiling partially collapsed at the one school, right? But the pools themselves have been out of order for years, >> right? At least 10 years that the equipment to to redo that that that is a multi-million dollar fix um to do, right? It it it took it it when we when we when I came to Centennial, we were we were had on our schedule to spend um $670,000 to crush the pools, right, to to fill them in. We wouldn't be able to use the space because you'd have to then sprinkler it, but we were going to just demolish the pools. I I said, "Let's put a hold on that." And we used that money to refurbish uh the auditoriums at both of those schools which were in significantly they were the original, right? They were wooden chairs. Uh and so we we put the money where the students are actually using it instead of spending the money in in the areas of the pool. Uh but at that time they they were a million dollars ballpark in each of those pools to try to bring them back up. and it would only be more now cuz all of the equipment would have to be redone. The pools would have to be refinished. Um, so that's a significant undertaking if that's something that the board is interested in. I don't know if that fits in our ch our timing right now with with the deficit with the the funding we have. But >> is there any other way to ultimately use those facilities for something else? It would be, in my opinion, it would be cheaper instead of retrofitting that whole section with rooms and HVAC and plumbing and sprinkler systems. You're adding all new systems to that. It would be cheaper with the structure the way it is to knock it down and build what we need, not to try and make that work for what we need. >> So, what is it that we need? >> I if we need more classrooms, if we need that would have to be identified for sure. and and I'm assuming the principles of each school or the schools would know better on what they could use at their schools. So I haven't went down that path yet. That would be something that would need research and time. >> You think we should >> if we need time if we need space. >> All I know is conversations about running out of space. So the swimming pools can't be used and you now have an area where you potentially could build classrooms. Just trying to understand is it you know it should remain dead for the next 20 years. >> Agreed. >> Where is the alleged growth occurring? We got the growth studies and there was very limited number of additional >> students. One of the issues is MBIT has no space and one of the discussions in the MBIT executive council meeting was the potential of leveraging the feeding schools with the ability to take some of those programs because otherwise their issue is going to have to raise a bond in order to start accepting more students. So [laughter] if there was an option in some of the schools to have room to facilitate greater capacity for some of these programs incending schools that's an opportunity. >> Yeah, I would >> issuing a bond >> I would need to build another building. >> That'll take kids that go there out of other classrooms. So we shouldn't have an additional number of students. The number of students should remain the same whether we have an MIB MBIT classroom or an English classroom or a >> well no it could be additional student. You decide to move cosmetology to Centennial and those kids come from Soulbury and Council Rock and Central Bucks to take those classes. just, >> you know, and this whole issue came up because Eric Baronowski said, "Well, when are they going to fix these pools?" That's really an important skill. And I'm thinking to myself, >> swimming is an important skill. >> Well, it is an important skill for kids to have. >> And putting those back up online, not to mention the cost of if we could renovate them, if they're not way past that point, right, is the thousands of dollars a month it costs just to operate a pool. Right. >> So, you got, you know, you think about that. >> I'm just saying if it's going to cost millions of dollars to do it, is there another option? And and you know, when when Mark, Dr. Coll said, well, we're going to have to do a bond in order to uh get additional capacity and as a result of AI, there's going to definitely be more need to have plumbing and electrical and >> medical and whatever else. So, I just figured I'd bring it up. I'd need more information on what >> I think it's certainly worthwhile to bring up, right? And and any any idea around that, but it would cost, you know, if we wanted to create space for MBIT in Centennial, it would require us to, you know, to build out perhaps one of those pools, right? Uh Log College, say that to fix the log college that would cost us millions of dollars and and and potentially a bond financing to to make that happen, right? or use of our uh savings to to build that for MBIT. So, you know, whether MBIT whether that would fit or to to Mr. Wartman's earlier comment, right, is it better to build it on the MBIT campus so that it's maintains its continuity as an MBIT program? But those are all questions to ask, right? If if the board has an appetite for us to evaluate trying to bring those pools online, we can do that. If the board has an appetite for us to consider ways that we could build out that space, we can look into that. I don't know, you know, I know we certainly are having uh we have uh space challenges certainly at the elementary schools and I think that's where it starts. So, uh you know, I think the middle schools are are okay. We've done some retrofitting of of unused space uh in both I think middle schools uh to find you know to create classrooms within the within the existing framework uh not venturing into the pool area yet but the pool area would be an expensive uh proposition. Um and again if you were to use it today right that that retrofit would require us to modernize the fire safety and right so the clinger and log don't have is are unsinkular buildings it would require us to sprinkler those buildings perhaps all of them if not certainly the space that we redo. >> Yep. >> I just think that some of the stuff needs to >> Yep. Agreed. Good stuff. When we balance a budget, then we can put it on the radar. >> It's gonna be h it's gonna happen. >> There you go. Words. >> In fact, I think we're still three million behind. Is that right, Mr. Greenwood? >> Okay. >> Just wait till you see the recurring impact. >> I want to see it [laughter] impers like So few items to be uh presented to the board to make you aware of. Um facility use 25% reduction for Archbishop Wood swim team. Um they meet the criteria for that with the number of Warster residents and students to use that. So they they warrant a 25% reduction. So that'll be going forward to them. um approves upgrades and installation for new cameras and upgrades to the cameras at Davis. There's some areas in the school that cannot be seen that have had some issues and they're requesting uh a couple newer cameras that have multiple views to replace single cameras and a couple new camera installations for security reasons. And then this is you. >> It is. There's a chart. I'm not sure if it made it into the slide deck, but it is in four dots. Just a chart of the various software maintenance service we have that [clears throat] we keep us running every year. So that is a it's a large total but because it's because it's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. It's a large total but it's because it's 11 different products totaling that. And these are things that range from we have something called multifactor authentication to make sure that we are securely signing on to our websites. It's for our Adobe so that we have PDF and can do signatures. Um, it's for things like Skyward, our student information and business software. So, it's just it's it's the regular maintenance things technology needs to keep running >> at the How's it compare with the prior cost? >> The cost of the prior year. >> Is it up, down, or the same? >> I can do a quick comparison if you give me a minute. >> It's good enough. um altogether probably down. I want to do solid math and I will get you a solid number around it. It is coming down. It is coming down. That is what I feel confident saying without >> being able to do math quickly. [laughter] >> Good enough. Thank you. >> Yep. >> Nice. All right. And then one that we've been working on for a while and I finally got this three people to give us quotes, valid quotes for disposal of if you've been to the bus garage in the back there's a graveyard where there's many vehicles that haven't moved for many years and most of them have been put out of commission because they can't even be inspected because of the rotting frames that are under them or something like you know close to that. And many of them have been cannibalized for the parts to keep some of our other current buses running. So, they're not even full buses back there. Um, and they're various sizes, as you can see, passenger sizes. Um, went out to three different companies to get scrap. This is what numbers you see here is what they gave us per pound minus the amount they would charge us to tow them away. So, that would be what we would reclaim if we sell the Eager Beaver trailer. That's an estimate, $2,000. It could go for a little more. It could go for a little less. Um, so our our estimate of reclaiming $8,841. That's that that's an estimate based on that trailer sale because it's actually val. It's valued valuable and we can sell it and it functions, but we don't need it. We have other trailers. So this is this is a proposal I'm bringing forward so we can reclaim the space at the bus garage because we're also running out of space for even parking and everything like that. So >> So the dollar amount is the 684126 plus the 2000. >> Yep. So the 684 412026 is a fixed number. They've already given us a quote for it minus this much to tow this vehicle depending on the size and the weight. And that comes out to what they will owe us. And then whatever we sell that other trailer for could be three grand. I don't know that. It could be $1,800. I don't It's going to go on a municipal bid. So it's once it goes on, it's out of our control. If you bid on it and bid $10 and that's the only bid, then that's what we take for it. If it's 3,000, we take 3,000 for it. So So thoughts, questions? Awesome. >> You could move one down to the beach house, park it in the backyard. >> Paint it paint it paint it with eagles or something. >> You could take it to California and put homeless people. >> So that's something we a lot of these vehicles have been there sitting back there for 10 plus years and nobody's ever just disposed of them and they just keep collecting. If you look at some of the age of some of them, they're 20 years old or more. So, it's uh it's time. We need the space. We keep buying buses, but we keep putting ones back there in a way. So, it's time to time to uh move some on. And uh these are even past the point, I will say. We looked into talking to Breitbill and all them about trading any of them in and none of them are even tradable. They're like, "No, we won't do anything with them but scrap them just like you are." So they would just take them off our hands for free and take the scrap value themselves. So we might as well get something out of them. I did even go down that are any of them worth trading in. I believe that's uh that's it. Why is that not moving down? It's doing what it wants. Questions? Anything? >> I have one. I just curious. I know we have a uh request out for proposals for engineering firms. I I think the deadline's coming up for that pretty soon. How are we going to evaluate the responses that come in from assuming [clears throat] you get some >> from engineering companies who would like to be considered along with the current one I guess um to do engineering work for the the district. Um, so I will say we we we are getting some because I know because I've had at least three different companies reach out with clarification on the RFP like, "Hey, what are you looking for in this area?" Blah, blah, blah. So, there are people working on it. So, I I'm pretty sure we're going to get a few responses. Um, last time I did it, we did it within the first couple months I was here or weeks even, Tom, in 2024. Um, we based it on fee schedule. We we kind of looked at what their fee schedule upper upper engineers lower engineers what that average was what we normally used and based what is it which one's going to be the least expensive and also history of their work and what what work have they done have they ever worked in a school district before have they you know so there's a lot of other things I like to look at when I get those RFPs and are they complete RFPs what the returns they give us because I've also gotten returns for RFPs and They didn't complete the RFP, so it wasn't a valid bid. >> Is there a value to have, I guess, what you could call a a school district engineering firm as opposed to if it's over a certain dollar limit, put out a request and see who responds to that particular uh project. I know, not that it's similar, but at the county, we did not have a county engineer. We had project by project engineer and if it was under a certain amount you could just select somebody but if it was more than that you'd have to bid and we'd get proposals and it was surprising who bid what for bridges and maintenance work in the buildings and things of that sort. I don't know which is better, have a a designated engineering firm or if it's over a certain dollar amount, get a different proposal from the various firms who might be interested. >> $81,000, if you remember, $81,000 from the SCS rooms discussion as to why you didn't go out there some separate RFP for that project and it landed up going to the existing firm of record. the same engineering firm since I've been here. That's I know they work for the district. I'm not saying any problem with their work. >> They've been here they've they've served the district probably for the last 10 or 12 years. Um and I think that the RFP process which closes uh it's was posted on May 27th. It will close on June 24th. uh and I think we'll look to this the operations committee to participate in the interviews and the evaluation of uh of that contractor um similar to what we did uh in in other areas. Um so I I think it should be the the process that we follow. I think it is valuable to have a [clears throat] uh an engineer of record uh that we can call and we can go over things, right? I mean there there's always you know particularly in in in our middle schools right those are very old buildings um before I got here I I was [laughter] it was it was shared with me that you know walls at log and wall literally walls in the in the in the boys gymnasium bathroom were coming down right they were they were knocked over right so we had a lot of issues to sort of maintain um and when in doing work in those buildings. I think it it's to our advantage uh to have them because they have knowledge of the inside and outside of those buildings and what has been done over the course of time. So I think that has proved helpful in the FCS exper experience, right? I think the drawings, the designs and all that have been helpful uh to keep those projects on track. Those those rooms were classrooms turned into, you know, originally classrooms turned into FCS classrooms. We're pumping uh we're pumping uh the water, you know, out of sinks. We're pumping it up into the ceiling, across the across the up into the ceiling, across the room, back down into another pipe. They're not natural uh uh naturally built uh built-in FCS classrooms. So, uh I I think you know that they we bid out that service before it was awarded to uh Barry Isizette. that's why we had them come back in. Uh but we can certainly evaluate, you know, I think having one on record is good. As I said, uh we can certainly look at if if you want to have a threshold of of work that would then need to be out done, you know, put out the bid again. Uh despite having a you know, maintaining that person as the building engineer of record um but you know, having someone else over do oversee it, that's that's up to the board to do for sure. >> Competition is good. I I agree with that. And some of the engineering things such as parking lots and they're pretty standard. Any good engineering company can do those things. >> Sure. >> That the other one has a little inside cuz they've been doing it for a while and know where the things are hidden in the building. But I think it's good that we have an open process there and come to some Nothing wrong with the current company. I you know they're fine. But competition I agree with Karen. Not only that, you can use whatever they come out with a bid and go back to your engineering company of record and say, "We just got this price. You willing to match it and find out, you know, there's a reason why not. They don't think they have the right skills and and under bidding them serve no value, but let's find that out." >> We're up to a certain limit. I agree. You don't need an engineer. You don't need to go to a big RP. If you have a job, it's going to be $4,000. I mean, you should be able to call, make a phone call, and get your advice. But framing major, >> right? >> You can define what major is. Maybe >> as as you recall, as we talked about last night in the finance committee meeting, you know, my uh my month two, I think it was week six, maybe week five, uh me joining Centennial School District, I got the phone call that our high school was structurally unstable, right? It was very helpful uh in that experience to be able to call Isa Barry Isette uh and and who could then help facilitate uh that evaluation and that fix uh that was you know moved at it it it record pace to ensure that it was went from being uninhabitable to uh to there. So, you know, as as in life and as in business, right, relationships matter, knowledge matters. Uh particularly when you look at a building, one could look at it and say, "Hey, I look at this and it looks good." What do you mean you're pumping waste water up into the ceiling and across a classroom? That doesn't make any sense, right? So, you could have things like that go on. But we will certainly plan to do just that, right? We can we'll go through the RFP process. We'll engage the operations committee in that evaluation, in those interviews. Um, and we will uh we will look at at identify we'll look to the operations committee to identify where that threshold lies, right? Is it uh is it the bid number at $24,600 which is the the bid requirement now? And so anything that's above that number, we would put that out to bid individually. Uh maybe that makes sense, but we'll look for your uh your collective guidance. >> Thank you. That's it. >> Back to you. >> All right. Do you have anything more? >> Anything else? If not, we can certainly adjourn at a good time here. >> We have to prove these to be. >> Uh, >> yeah. Approve to move all those forward or do you want me to go back to them? >> I'm going to order three. >> There are these four. >> Four. Okay. Yeah, we could do it collective. I mean, all at once if nobody has a disagreement. Uh Dave, is it at least they all sound reasonable to me? You want any you want to do separately? >> No. >> All right. We can take all in favor of forwarding these on for consideration by the entire board. >> And then there isn't there another one? >> Nope. >> Those four. >> Just those four. >> That one. >> Okay. So move. >> All in favor? I >> we can move up to the board for consideration. >> And I think the next board meeting will be September 11th if my math is right. >> There's one in two weeks. >> Operations. >> That next operations I'm sorry. The next operations committee meeting. No. Is it the bottom of that? >> Operations committee is September. Is that right? >> September. The next operations committee would be September. >> Well, you'll have information on the engineering firms and some other >> good things that have happened over the summer. And >> you can celebrate my birthday. That's even better. And who's going to drive the buses to Pitts to Columbus, Ohio? I'm very interested in that. I don't know how that's going to I I still don't think that's a good idea. That's for another day. Okay. Move to adjourn. So move. Yes. Thank you.