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This report is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools
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Greetings!
The Orleans Parish School Board held a Special Emergency Meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2013, in its Timbers III Office Building at 3520 General DeGaulle Drive to consider two action items related to a structural emergency with the Sophie B. Wright Building. The agenda for the meeting call be read here. A quorum of four members was present.
In the first action item, the Board unanimously ratified the necessity for the emergency meeting.
The second action item was the consideration of Resolution 09-13 certifying and declaring a public emergency at Sophie B. Wright Charter School due to facility conditions that pose both health and safety risks for the school's students and employees and that necessitate immediate repairs pursuant to the emergency provisions of the Louisiana Public Bid Law.
During the Board's deliberations, several items were addressed, including the following:
- Status of Sophie B. Wright Charter
- One of the first State takeovers of an OPSB school and so designated as a "10.5" charter
- Under "10.5," RSD is responsible for the program and OPSB for the capital projects
- The charter is responsible for maintenance
- Under Master Plan, RSD is implementing a renovation project at Wright in conjunction with OPSB
- Status of Sophie B. Wright Building
- Renovation under design for bidding in December 2013
- November 2012 assessment of building revealed apparent old termite damage in auditorium roof trusses
- Detailed inspection by designers in past few days revealed that trusses had deteriorated to the point of potential danger
- Immediately, the school vacated the auditorium as well as the cafeteria and kitchen beneath the auditorium
- Recommendations of Administrations of OPSB and RSD
- Perform emergency shoring and stabilization to prevent further risks to occupants and building
- Further extensive testing in building to determine conditions in rest of building
- Use emergency bid procedures to expedite work
- Relocation prior to the summer is not feasible
- If shoring is delayed, OPSB's building asset is at risk even if the building is vacated
- Report of Sophie B. Wright Charter School Director
- Charter is using alternative delivery of food services in PE area of building for the time being
- Charter has had the school under termite baiting and inspection contract and received a report of "no live termites" last week, implying that the damage must be old damage
- School has spent considerable funds for maintenance
- The damage was not in plain or obvious view
- Relocation at this time, especially before testing, is undesirable
- Concerns of Board Members
- Nature, extent and timing of damage
- Urgency of repairs
- Whether or not replacement of building is more prudent than renovations
- Whether or not immediate relocation of students to merge with another school would be more prudent
- RSD's plans for DBE participation in renovation project
Following discussions, the Board unanimously approved Resolution 09-13.
***This email is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools and is not an official correspondence from the Orleans Parish School Board***
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This service is made possible by a Community IMPACT 2012 Grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation and funding from the
Robert Reily Family Trust and the Smith/Cooper Foundation
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