$22M price of school could rise
A hurricane could boost the cost of a new elementary, the School Board learns.
By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published June 21, 2006
INVERNESS - Building an elementary school in Citrus Springs will cost the district $22-million, but a catastrophic event such as a hurricane could drive up construction costs and force the builder to ask for more money.
That possibility was raised Tuesday during a School Board meeting.
John Stewart, the vice president of Peter Brown Construction Inc., told the board that labor and building costs continue to rise.
The construction boom has created shortages of steel, plywood and copper. The price of concrete went up 10 percent just in the past month, Stewart said.
"If we get another major hurricane slamming us ... this price could change,'' Stewart said, referring to the cost of the new elementary school.
Originally slated to cost $11-million, the school is now the district's most expensive elementary school. When it opens in August 2008, the school will enroll up to 810 students.
Board members voted to move forward with the project, but didn't settle on a final price tag.
Mike Mullen, the district's director of support services, said in an interview that the board and the builder will agree on a maximum price in October. In the event of a natural disaster or another unforeseen event such as an oil shortage, the builder could not demand more money without the consent of the board.
In other news:
n Board members voted to approve changes to the student code of conduct. Although the revised rule book doesn't include major changes, it gives schools more flexibility to enforce a controversial attendance policy.
Principals will now review appeals from students with five unexcused absences before failing them automatically.
n The board also voted to hire Chuck Dixon as the new director of planning and growth management.
Dixon, the county's director of community development, will now represent the district in talks with the county about new developments that affect existing schools. He starts in mid July.
n Michael D'Angelo was named the new assistant director of the Withlacoochee Technical School.
D'Angelo has worked as a school administrator in Michigan and Florida for 16 years. Most recently, he has been assistant principal at Nature Coast Technical High School in Hernando County.
As WTI's assistant director, he will work to increase enrollment at adult evening classes, among other things.