Contract resolutions, re-roofing project approved

The Acadia Parish School Board untabled three items during a special session Wednesday and approved all three — two resolutions in regards to performance-based energy efficiency contract matters and the re-roofing project at 800 North Western Avenue in Crowley.

It just took an hour to get there.

After discussion, much discussion, two resolutions were adopted by the board in regards to a performance-based energy efficiency contract. 

The first was pursuant to a performance-based energy efficiency contract between the Acadia Parish School Board and Johnson Controls, Inc.

The contract was agreed upon after review from board attorney Gerard Caswell and the board members as well as Superintendent John Bourque. That doesn’t mean the board didn’t have questions for JCI and its representatives, however.

As the questions have finally begun turning into answers overall, Lynn Shamsie, board member, District 3, still felt as if there were too many unknown variables to support the plan.

“I guess it’s a good idea, but I really don’t know and that’s why I can’t support it,” he said. “I just don’t know.

“I have questions, and, to be honest with you, I’m scared. None of us are going to be on this board in 17 years, that’s for sure. I want be here three months from now. So, it’s a lot of money and it’s a lot of questions that are still, to me, not answered.”

The contract is for $7.4 million over the course of 17 years, through 2031.

“I’m afraid of it. I don’t want to put this board in a financial bind, and maybe it won’t be, but I can’t vote for it,” Shamsie said.

There were also several items David Lalande, board member, District 5, wanted to highlight.

“First, I thought Mr. Caswell did a really good job in summarizing the contract,” he said. “I actually looked at it myself, and I had (basically) the same items that he pointed out that I wanted to point out. So, I’m going to emphasize those.”

Lalande spoke about the training JCI will provide, as part of the contract, to the district’s personnel before going to his next point.

“There are many, many requirements in contracts like this. I trust that you guys (JCI) will do yours, because you don’t get paid unless y’all do. Then, Dr. Chance and Mr. Jones, you have a really huge responsibility in this contract to meet the requirements, and I’m sure that you appreciate that and are aware of that.

“It’s nothing that can’t be done. I have no reason to believe that it can’t be done. … “It’s going to take a lot of communication. It’s going to take a lot of organization. I just wanted to emphasize how important that is.”

Lalande also requested a routine item be put on the agenda annually, at least, for updates on the project. Just for a matter of record alone.

JCI’s representatives explained that that is standard for the company to bring a report to the board annually. 

“Unlike Mr. Shamsie, I’m going to vote for it,” said Milton Simar, board member, District 8; “but, like Mr. Shamsie, I have tremendous concerns for a number that large.

“I wouldn’t ever want this contract with operations at our schools. But, Steve (Jones, supervisor of maintenance and warehouse) can probably go along with me; tonight, at midnight, if we go to every school in this parish, we are going to find at least one air conditioner left on, one classroom with the lights left on, and this will no longer happen with y’all, right?”

“That is correct,” JCI answered.

“So y’all will have control of every classroom at every school?” asked John Suire, board member, District 4.

JCI confirmed that to be the case and added that for things like scheduled classroom waxing, and so forth, JCI can turn on the classroom as needed so that it will be ready for waxing.

According to the adopted resolution, the board agreed to enter into the contract with JCI on the condition that “said authorization to sign a contract explicitly prohibits any action by Johnson Controls, Inc., and/or its agents or assigned to “Proceed”; that is, the “Notice to Proceed” is withheld until such time as the issuance and sale of bonds and funds therefrom are deposited in a board account and are available for use by said board.”

That means JCI cannot start the project until the board says it has the funds to do so.

According to Dr. Douglas Chance, administrator of ancillary service for the board, the board’s request for QZAB (Qualified Zone Academy Bond) funds has been added to the State Bond Commission’s Oct. 16 agenda. However, if the board so chose, it could begin work next week and pay it off with the bonds when they came into play. 

The resolution was adopted by roll call vote by a vote of 6-1. Voting for the resolution were board members Israel Syria, District 1; Douglas J. LaCombe, District 2; Suire; Lalande; Gene I. Daigle, District 6; and Simar.

Voting against the resolution was Shamsie.

Absent from the special session was board member James Higginbotham, District 7.

The second resolution adopted authorized Bourque to approve the invoices submitted by JCI.

According to that resolution, Bourque can approve, authorize and submit payment for invoices provided to him by JCI, within the parameters of the performance-based energy efficiency contract.

This resolution was adopted by a 7-0, unanimous, vote Wednesday night.

Finally, discussion turned back to re-roofing the school board’s property at 800 North Western Avenue, which houses the the Crowley location of Head Start, as well as the Head Start offices.

The board agreed that it needs to have the building re-roofed and approved the bid from E.L. Habetz Builders for just below $100,000, but it continues to be a bitter pill to swallow for the board that provided the building free of charge to Head Start.

“My concern was, why wasn’t this addressed earlier?” said Bourque.

Questions still remain on what the board can do with the building moving forward, but regardless of that, it felt that the re-roofing needed to occur.

The board voted 6-1, with Shamsie recording the lone nay, to approve the re-roofing project.