By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board approved a contract to remove mastic containing asbestos from underneath tiles at the new Hays Middle School.
The motion for the contract with ACM Removal LLS for $69,480 passed on a vote of 6-1, but it was that one no vote that resulted in some heated discussion.
The district has worked for many years to remove asbestos from all of its buildings.
The asbestos at the former Hays High building is contained in the glue that holds the floor tiles in place. Because the tile covered the glue, it was not considered to be a danger.
However, because the tile is being removed for the renovation of the former high school into a middle school, it needed to be remediated.
Chris Hipp, assistant superintendent of business services, said the district was able to contract directly with ACM Removal for less than it could through Nabholz Construction, its construction manager at risk. The asbestos abatement and tile removal had been budgeted at $80,000.
Board member Allen Park questioned the existence of the asbestos in the building. He said the building was too new to contain asbestos, and the district's paperwork did not indicate any asbestos in that building.
Superintendent Ron Wilson informed Park that the material had been tested and does contain asbestos.
Park voted against the bid for the asbestos removal.
Board member Ruth Ruder called Park out for his lone no vote.
"What would have happened if we had all voted no? Would we be in trouble from the health and human services department for not removing asbestos that is known?" Ruder said.
"Are you just voting no to [satisfy] the public, because you're not spending money?" she said.
"I am not an expert in these fields. I rely on Nabholz. I rely on Bill [Jeter]," she said. "I rely on Chris (Hipp) to know his job. I can't know all of these jobs. Every week we come here and we get these no votes on things that should not be voted no on just to [satisfy] the taxpayer to say, 'I didn't vote on it.'"
"You have a right to vote the way you want, but I am sick and tired of coming here every week and there's a no vote on something. That isn't right for the public. It isn't right for our kids, and it isn't right for our employees who work for this school district," Ruder said.
Park said he has a problem with the process.
"I'm not voting that we shouldn't do it," he said. "I'm voting this process to do this. This process we don't know for sure. They say it is, but I have some doubts."
"I'm No. 1 on safety," Park said. ... "For you to say that is not appropriate."
Park aslo voted against a $88,347 change order for the new high school.
The items included:
• Concession receptacles
• Polished concrete revisions
• The addition of gates for the football stadium
• ˙Football field scoreboard power revision
• A clarification to the architect's instructions
• Directional striping for the parking lot to improve traffic flow
Most of the change order items have already been completed.
Wilson said most of the items needed to be completed within about a week of the school's opening, and there was not enough time to bring the items to the board for approval before they were finished.
Board Vice President Ken Brooks asked Park what he would have changed had he had the change orders in advance.
Ruder said the change orders needed to be completed for the safety of the students.
The board unanimously approved a marketing partnership with Pizza Management for Pizza Hut signage in the Hays High School Gold Gym. The company will pay $7,500 for a three-year contract.