What more evidence does this town need that PriceWaterhouse Coopers 2002 report was spot on regarding the lack of financial reports and construction management. I wrote about it here and you will also find links to the original report there. So here we have Opdahl stating that somehow “drop ceilings and pipe covers, a communication system, culinary equipment and exterior painting at Norwalk High; auditorium seating at Roton Middle School and drop ceilings in the halls of Columbus Magnet” are newly discovered items needing funding.
Opdahl has got to be the most incompetent COO on the planet. The BOE members were more restrained in their assessment of the situation. From The Hour:
Board member Bruce Kimmel voiced concerns about the allocation of funds and said he was worried the transfer could leave Jefferson Elementary without needed moneys in years to come. The money being moved from Nathan Hale and Ponus Ridge was originally allocated from the Jefferson Elementary account.
“There are a number of capital pressures, and I just want to make sure we’ll be able to get the money we need for Jefferson,” Kimmel said. ” … I’m just wondering if the political will will be there.”Board members Rosa Murray and Greg Burnett asked Opdahl if this transfer would be the last moving around of funds or if the district should take a closer look at what is needed for construction.
“Do we foresee anything other Norwalk High School items coming down the line before we stop at the $840,000?” Burnett asked of the $841,840 to be transferred to the high school. “I mean, the drop ceiling, the painting, I don’t know how that got missed. Have we looked at everything that needs to be addressed?”
The BOE should immediately request a comprehensive accounting for the all of the cumulative construction projects including current current contract amount in terms of the original contract amount, the executed changes, and the pending changes. The number one rule that you learn in business school is that you can’t manage what you don’t know. And Opdahl clearly has demonstrated that he doesn’t know way too much for someone in his position.
The other shocker from the BOE meeting is the apparent deficit in food services. From The Hour:
Members from Whitsons Culinary Group, the Long Island-based company that controls the district’s food services, presented information about projected revenues and losses. According to Whitsons personnel, there will be a $56,475 deficit in food services this year, compared to a $145,727 loss during the 2006 fiscal year.
source: The Hour, BOE mulls $900K transfer to cover costs, By ANNA GUSTAFSON, May 16, 2007
