$2.1 million in Capital construction overruns = no discussion by Board

On August 27, 2009, the MCPS Board of Education had before it two items related to significant cost overruns in MCPS Capital construction projects. You can see the Board discussion of these two overruns here. But don't bother watching the video. Board members didn't say a word about these overruns. These items were neatly tucked into the Consent Agenda under the title "Transfer of Funds" and passed unanimously without discussion.

If Board members had read the memorandum from Superintendent Jerry Weast they would have discovered that one of the overruns related to a construction bill that was presented to MCPS approximately four years late. Superintendent Weast appears not to have obtained any legal advice on this matter and simply recommends to the Board that they pay the just produced $430,785 bill for work done 4 to 7 years ago.

The second item in the memorandum deals with the $2.2 million in construction errors that were made during the construction of the Roscoe R. Nix Elementary School. In the memo, Superintendent Weast informs the Board that a settlement of $525,000 was received from the architect in May of 2008 but that a $1,681,282 deficit remains on the Nix ES project.

One wonders why it has taken so long for Superintendent Weast to bring this matter to the attention of the Board. The Nix ES opened in August of 2006, and the settlement from the architect was received in May of 2008. How is a $1.6 million deficit from 2006 just being brought to the attention of the Board in September of 2009?

Next time you lobby the Board of Education for a Capital project for your local school, remember the $2.1 million that the Board spent on an old bill and construction errors, without discussion, on August 27th.

Where are the funds coming from to make up these overruns? The $2.1 million is being transferred from Capital projects at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Poolesville High School, and other unknown projects in the construction queue.

County Executive Ike Leggett has already approved the transfer of funds to these two overrun items, and on September 22, 2009 the Montgomery County Council will undoubtedly also approve these expenditures without discussion.

There is no public comment time scheduled at the County Council on this issue. Apparently a $2.1 million overrun in MCPS construction projects is of no great importance to the County budget.