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Asbestos removal company to oversee demolition of old elementary campus
By GARY ENGEL / Staff Reporter
A company with experience in removal of asbestos from buildings that are being demolished will oversee that work at the three buildings slated to be torn down on the old Brenham Elementary School campus, trustees learned Monday at their only December meeting Monday.
Asbestos abatement consultant Henry King, who has been present for other, similar projects on BISD property and elsewhere, said he will work with the contractors and monitor the project.
He said he would review potential contractors' records and determine if an unsatisfactory record of citations existed.
In response to a query from trustee Carey Counsil, King said the contractor would bear the responsibility for anyone injured during the abatement and building removal process, thus indemnifying the school district.
"The abatement and the building removal could both be done by the same contractor," Assistant Superintendent-Operations Jim Bruce said.
Officials expect the board to vote on a removal method next month.
Superintendent David Yeager officially announced receipt of a $420,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife for the construction of the Washington County Hunter Education Training Facility.
The remaining $180,000 for the 6,000-square foot structure, which is planned to be built near BHS, needs to come from local school funds or donations.
Paul G. Hawryluk, of LANWalton Consultants in Bryan, the district's program management firm, said drawings of the project should be finished by the end of this week.
Bay Architects of Houston and LANWalton will then proceed with the steps to hire a construction manager at-risk.
Several board members said they had been asked by patrons how they could donate to the project, and Bruce said interested parties should contact the Marine Junior ROTC leader at Brenham High School, Capt. Kenneth Tofel, or Assistant Superintendent-Curriculum/Instruction Deanna Alfred at the central office.
In other action, Counsil and trustee MaLisa Hampton agreed to be part of a committee, with Hawryluk, to study traffic matters at BMS.
Yeager said he hoped the committee would communicate with Hawryluk on a weekly basis and have a report to the board within six weeks.
The superintendent encouraged the trustees to start thinking about a school calendar for 2007-08, when the Legislature has mandated that schools cannot start before the fourth Monday in August, or next year, Aug. 27.
Yeager had stated during a briefing prior to the meeting that it looked like the only "float" in the class schedule was during the Christmas holiday - making it briefer to assure school was out by May 30, 2008.
"Shortening spring break might work better for the (public) schools, but that wouldn't interface with the university system," he said.
Yeager noted that the first semester does not have to be finished prior to Christmas.
"We'll talk about it over the next month or two months to see what's been worked out," said Yeager.
"It doesn't matter how you draw it up," board member Melvin Ehlert Jr. said of the calendar, "somebody's going to be unhappy."
The audience at the meeting and administrators were left with the sense that trustees want to stick with springtime elections, rather than moving to a November schedule that would alternate back to the spring every two years when there are no county elections in the fall.
Schools must hold their elections along with another municipality. That's good, because it saves both groups money.
"In the future, if we want to for some reason, we can have an election in November," Yeager said. "We have to look at more than just costs - we have to look at getting people to vote."
Yeager had thought November would be attractive, as more people would probably vote during the general election. But again, that only happens every two years at the county level.
A board meeting schedule for January was announced. Trustees will meet at noon Wednesday, Jan. 3, for their special meeting. School is still out for Christmas break Jan. 1-2. They will convene for the regular session on Tuesday, Jan. 16, as that Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Asbestos abatement consultant Henry King, who has been present for other, similar projects on BISD property and elsewhere, said he will work with the contractors and monitor the project.
He said he would review potential contractors' records and determine if an unsatisfactory record of citations existed.
In response to a query from trustee Carey Counsil, King said the contractor would bear the responsibility for anyone injured during the abatement and building removal process, thus indemnifying the school district.
"The abatement and the building removal could both be done by the same contractor," Assistant Superintendent-Operations Jim Bruce said.
Officials expect the board to vote on a removal method next month.
Superintendent David Yeager officially announced receipt of a $420,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife for the construction of the Washington County Hunter Education Training Facility.
The remaining $180,000 for the 6,000-square foot structure, which is planned to be built near BHS, needs to come from local school funds or donations.
Paul G. Hawryluk, of LANWalton Consultants in Bryan, the district's program management firm, said drawings of the project should be finished by the end of this week.
Bay Architects of Houston and LANWalton will then proceed with the steps to hire a construction manager at-risk.
Several board members said they had been asked by patrons how they could donate to the project, and Bruce said interested parties should contact the Marine Junior ROTC leader at Brenham High School, Capt. Kenneth Tofel, or Assistant Superintendent-Curriculum/Instruction Deanna Alfred at the central office.
In other action, Counsil and trustee MaLisa Hampton agreed to be part of a committee, with Hawryluk, to study traffic matters at BMS.
Yeager said he hoped the committee would communicate with Hawryluk on a weekly basis and have a report to the board within six weeks.
The superintendent encouraged the trustees to start thinking about a school calendar for 2007-08, when the Legislature has mandated that schools cannot start before the fourth Monday in August, or next year, Aug. 27.
Yeager had stated during a briefing prior to the meeting that it looked like the only "float" in the class schedule was during the Christmas holiday - making it briefer to assure school was out by May 30, 2008.
"Shortening spring break might work better for the (public) schools, but that wouldn't interface with the university system," he said.
Yeager noted that the first semester does not have to be finished prior to Christmas.
"We'll talk about it over the next month or two months to see what's been worked out," said Yeager.
"It doesn't matter how you draw it up," board member Melvin Ehlert Jr. said of the calendar, "somebody's going to be unhappy."
The audience at the meeting and administrators were left with the sense that trustees want to stick with springtime elections, rather than moving to a November schedule that would alternate back to the spring every two years when there are no county elections in the fall.
Schools must hold their elections along with another municipality. That's good, because it saves both groups money.
"In the future, if we want to for some reason, we can have an election in November," Yeager said. "We have to look at more than just costs - we have to look at getting people to vote."
Yeager had thought November would be attractive, as more people would probably vote during the general election. But again, that only happens every two years at the county level.
A board meeting schedule for January was announced. Trustees will meet at noon Wednesday, Jan. 3, for their special meeting. School is still out for Christmas break Jan. 1-2. They will convene for the regular session on Tuesday, Jan. 16, as that Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
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