Then it must be a story about Simi Valley Unified's Bond Measure C4 - The exploding budget Bond.

GREAT article in the Acorn about the District wanting to hire a construction management firm to manage the Bond, except for one minor detail that was missing...About a year to 18 months ago, THEY FIRED their existing construction management firm and foisted the story upon the public that they only needed PMI, who would handle everything.. And they would save $5 million...

Except now, they need a construction management firm.

Does this sounds like a government operation or WHAT?

Look, has there been a more mismanaged, botched ridiculous example of a bond project to date? The City and private developers built the entire new mall in less time than it has taken SVUSD to plan HOW it wants to build. The Bond Passed in March of 2004, and only 4 projects are complete. New estimates are coming in over $3 million higher than expected.

I wonder why? Could it be that they have no idea what they are doing, and taking too long in not doing it?

What else was missing in the article? Not one comment from the Oversight committee, and not one comment from any of the 9 school board candidates, 2 weeks before election day. Why the disconnect from these two interested parties?

The bond was meant to modernize classrooms, expand the technology infrastructure and provide safer and more accessible campuses. We are now down to replacing partioned walls and removing boilers as success stories.

We often say to kids "Finish what you start" The same can be asked of SVUSD. If you are voting in the November election for school board, I hope you'll ask the candidates how they plan to act with your peoperty tax dollars, and what they plan on doing to save the bond from being a sinkhole.

And do you support additonal bonds (taxes) to get more money to finish the job?

Let's debate it here.

Firm says Measure C4 bond project is running over budget
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

The Simi Valley Unified School District Board of Education is considering hiring a construction management firm to provide the board with more accurate pricing models for the Measure C4 building projects.

The $145-million bond project is believed to be running over budget due to the inflation of construction costs, according to Project Management, Inc., the firm selected by the school board to oversee the bond project.

According to Project Management's Bill Mitchell, a construction management firm will be able to provide more accurate pricing and inform the district on exactly how much money will be required for each project.

Current price estimates for the construction are based on figures developed by the projects' architects.

"Construction management firms are building every single day and have a firm understanding of the price of supplies," Mitchell said.

Recent bids for projects at Crestview, Lincoln, Santa Susana and Atherwood elementary schools were more than $3 million over the price estimates supplied by the architects.

Project Management consulted with Bernard Bros. Construction, a local construction management firm, and asked for price estimates on projects approaching bid, such as the construction of an auditorium at Santa Susana High School.

The firm returned with building prices they were willing to commit to, and the figures showed that the architects' estimates were under by $3 million, according to officials at Project Management.

"There was no necessity for this a year and a half ago when the project was started, but the way estimates are running, it's been a galloping horse," Mitchell said.

By having more accurate price estimates, the school board can begin to cut unnecessary expenditures to bring the project back on budget, according to officials.

While Americans with Disabilities Act compliances and fire and safety systems are required, endeavors such as the removal of old furnaces for additional storage space are likely to be abandoned, according to district officials.

Some board members expressed concern that people wouldn't validate the bond measure if only internal systems were updated.

"We need to have some things that let people know we were here and that we made some changes," trustee Greg Stratton said.

The school board also stressed the importance of developing additional library space at the schools and creating permanent walls in place of the folding partitions that separate many classrooms.

"Replacing the partitions are a priority for me because I've witnessed the disruptions that occur in the classroom because of them," said Debbie Sandland, school board president.

Four projects have now been completed in the district. They include the first phase of modernization of Royal High School, the first phase of modernization for Simi Valley High School, the first phase of construction for Atherwood Elementary and modernization of the Simi Valley High School track and field.

Projects currently under construction include the modernization of Abraham Lincoln, Crestview, Knolls and Santa Susana elementary schools. The district will soon bid on

the second phase of the modernization project at Atherwood Elementary, which will include the construction of a new administration building, a classroom building and a multipurpose room and library; and the second phase of construction at Simi Valley High School, which will include upgrades to the science labs.