12/15 Bloomfield Hills School Board Meeting

At the recent Bloomfield Hills School Board Meeting, a month long “community engagement” was announced to determine a specific proposal and an exact dollar amount the voters need to approve for a new high school.

The Fielding Nair proposal was approximately $65 million for a Hybrid High School (36% remodel 64% new construction).

Optional modular components such as Learning and Athletic upgrades that could if selected boost that that figures by $10 to $20 million. Various aspects of the upgrades, such as “expanded swimming and diving pool” can also be cherry picked to make select features available at a lower cost.

The School Board has also come up with $8 to $11 million in existing funds that could be used to either offset the $65 million price tag or buy upgrades. 

Seven Town Hall meetings with residents have been scheduled from mid-January to mid February 2012.

Working the Bond issue math on the White Board.

Christmas Gifts are faux.

Demanding schedule means a quick dinner

for Board VP Ed Ford.

The announced deadline for a specific proposal and dollar amount is the February 16^th 2012 School Board Meeting. The Bond issue will be then be placed on either a May or a November Ballot.

In other school board developments the passage of House Bills 618 and 619 which removed the cap on charter and cyber schools was unwelcome but expected news.

 “We may never see where we are today again” School Superintendent Robert Glass said and adding  "We’ll now have to enter these markets, not because it’s where what we want to go, but just to retain the resources we have “

In other matters the school board approved a contingency amount of $116,182 and a general conditions amount of $34,856 for bid #790 vendors which involves the District’s Central Office Consolidation and renovation of the Doyle Center.

 The total cost of bid is $1,161,821 of which the majority of monies come from the Capital Projects improvement plan and the sinking fund.

In addition the board approved $47,160 and contingency of $4716 for asbestos removal. These funds would come from the sinking fund.

Last but not least, Andover Varsity Football 2012 which faced a December death sentence if sufficient student interest could not be found has been granted a reprieve.

Optimistically it has been reported that all systems are go with one caveat.

August 2012 is a long way away and anything can happen between now and then.

Assistant School Superintendent Ed Bretzlaff said however he hope the interest and enthusiasm shown for Andover Varsity Football will carry over to the new high school bond Issue.