Letter to the Editor: Ames School Board Needs To Justify Construction Manager Expense

The Ames School Board on Aug. 6, 2012, allowed proponents for Construction Management (CM) to give a workshop presentation that undermined the traditional public hearing delivery system, Design-Bid-Build (the TRIAD).

The TRIAD is made up of Owner-Architect-General Contractor. The advocates for the TRIAD requested the same opportunity that was afforded to the proponents of Construction Management (CM) but were denied. (Ames School District officials refute this see below)

The advocates for the TRIAD were offered a chance to discuss this informally prior to a school board meeting with one of two members present. The School Board also has a three minute public forum but the magnitude of this issue cannot be discussed in that time period. Wasting a minimum of $2- to $3-million of taxpayers' money on this issue deserves more than a three-minute public forum or a few minutes with a couple of board members prior to the official meeting, as was offered.

Ames residents need to know the following:

• Recently a couple of former school board members in the public forum, advised current school board members to not entertain another layer of management as it is not needed, meaning CM.
• A retired architect in 2005 wrote an Ames Tribune article simply stating that this management system (CM) is not needed and let the Architect and General Contractor do their job.
• There is only one proven system – TRIAD – Design-Bid-Build that sees to it the taxpayers of Iowa receive the highest quality in their public building projects for the least amount of money.
• Several Central Iowa school districts (Gilbert, Nevada and Dallas Center-Grimes) examined the CM process but chose to stay with the traditional method (TRIAD) saving hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, Dallas Center-Grimes by comparing the TRIAD and the CM in their bid process saved $1,022,000 on a $15 million project. If they saved this much on a $15 million, how much would the Ames taxpayers save on $60 million? $4 million?
• Litigation – The CM agency delivery system is open to multiple lawsuits due to multiple prime bid packages. A Des Moines school (Hillside) currently is suing Weitz Construction practicing CM, for their failure to correct a moisture problem on the new school's windows, involving 6 prime bid package contractors.

Certainly the Ames School Board means well, but it is hard to understand when budgets are tight, why the Board is entertaining an expenditure such as CM without listening to advocates for the proven traditional system. I am sure the citizens of Ames have not forgotten the additional $800,000 plus wasted on a CM process back in 2005 for their school building project.

The Board started interviewing Construction Managers on Nov. 26. I feel the taxpayers will be better served if the savings from not using a CM were put to a more justifiable use. At this time we are talking about wasting $2- to $3-million so please share this with your neighbors and please contact your School Board (call, email, letter, attend board meetings) about this very important issue.

Harold Pike

2715 Valley View Drive

Ames, Iowa 50014

School district officials responded to this letter saying that they had offered Pike and proponents of the General Contractor method to speak at the same Aug. 6 board work session, but he declined the invitation saying no one was available, according to Board President Dan Woodin. Woodin said Pike also declined another invitation to meet with the board before Aug. 13 so a board work session was not scheduled.