By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
The Burlington Area School District School Board on Monday unanimously approved a contract with Plunkett Raysich Architects to develop the district’s long-term facilities plan.
The hiring of the firm gives direction to the district’s planning, which has been a subject of debate and suggestions for more than two years.
“Anyone who’s been following this has known it’s been going on for a couple of years now,” School Board President Jim Bousman said about the facilities study.
The Buildings, Grounds and Transportation Committee recommended using Plunkett Raysich – a firm the district has worked with for decades – at its July 27 meeting.
The recommendation there was unanimous as well. Plunkett Raysich has proposed a $17,000 fee plus reimbursable expenses for the planning process. If the district decides to retain the firm for any construction that results, the firm will credit the district half of the $17,000.
The hiring of a firm to develop a long-term facilities plan was one of the goals identified in the district’s strategic planning during the winter and early spring. Plunkett Raysich – or the firm’s earlier incarnations – has worked with the district since the 1950s, according to BASD Superintendent Peter Smet.
There weren’t any nay votes Monday night, but School Board Member Kevin Bird said he wants to make sure the district was following its own plan of “fresh eyes” and “thinking outside of the box.”
“If we really, truly, want to look outside the box, we need to have a broader range,” Bird said. When asked by Bousman what the exact objection to Plunkett Raysich is, Bird said he prefers a consultant not familiar with the district. He also said the process is similar to one Plunkett Raysich conducted in 2000.
Smet clarified that the study with Plunkett was done in the early 1990s. Board member Bill Campbell added that the representative from the company will be new, and he was pleased with the experience the district has had with Plunkett Raysich.
Board Member Phil Ketterhagen said that Plunkett Raysich and Scherrer-Nexus were “peas in a pod,” offering similar study methods that would leave the decision up to the board. He said he voted for Plunkett Raysich simply to get options in front of the board to “give us options we can accept or reject.”
“My opinion it was a horse apiece,” Ketterhagen said. “We just need to get moving.”
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