Lamar School Bond - Good News

[Wayward]

This just arrived in my inbox from the Lamar Students First organization. Might be of interest.

The Lamar Students FIRST Web site has been updated with new information concerning construction projects funded by the Lamar County School District bond issue.

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Seven bids were received for the Oak Grove High School classroom expansion project. The bid opening was held today at the Lamar County School Board meeting room in Purvis. Based on submitted bids, the cost of this project will be approximately 10% below the initial estimate. Great news!

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Check the Recent Project News section on the main page of the Lamar Students FIRST Web site for more information. http://www.lamarstudentsfirst.org/
Sounds like a good start.

[Wayward]

The initial estimate for OG High School classroom expansion was $1,450,000. Since the bids were opened yesterday and the contract will not be awarded until Monday, I don't think this individual project would have been involved in a specific savings announcement.

There is a committee of the school board working with the architects to identify potential cost savings in all new construction projects. Simply a good business practice. Savings will probably be used as contingency funds, enhancement of some of the major renovation projects, etc. At this early stage, a little flexibility is probably essential. Until actual bids are opened, there are only estimates and speculation.

Concerning the bond debt ... It will be paid down faster than first anticipated due the the lower than expected bond interest rate and a (probable) higher than expected growth rate of the Lamar County tax base. And that's a good thing. :smt001

[King Kong]

rut

[Wayward]

barrister ...

What's your source for over $1 million saved in Purvis? (You actually mentioned $1.6 in another thread.) The plan has a $1.6 million multipurpose building and a $5.8 million elementary school (the smallest of the four new schools) in Purvis. Just curious. That much slack seems unlikely. :smt102

[Wayward]

The first construction contract has been awarded in the bond issue project. Casablanca Construction was the low bidder and has been awarded the contract for the OG High School classroom extension. Construction will begin immediately and should complete in March 2006.

This contract was awarded less than three months after the bond issue passed. Pretty effective fast track, so far. :yes:

[Wayward]

I'm curious...when's the ground breaking going to be on this and the new elementary schools? I hope that at the ceremony people like Joe Fortenberry (especially), Carl Fortenberry, Jim Yelverton and others who worked so hard in getting the bond passed, will each be handed a shovel to participate in it.
Hmmmm. Sounds like the key bond effort was an all male show. I suspect there were a lot of moms and grandmoms in critical roles. In any event, it should be more about the students than the adults.

The most meaningful school groundbreaking I've seen was for the new DuBard School for Language Disorders building on the USM campus several years ago. Shovels were handled by the students. It was special to see the young kids (smaller than the shovels) breaking ground for a school which would change their lives. Might be a good idea to consider. :idea:

[Wayward]

[snip]
Bringing out some kids would be great for symbolic effect and for children morale
[snip]

The students are symbolic? Hardly. The students were the purpose of the exercise. At least for most folks involved in the effort.

[Gray Ghost]

Hubbarrister, this is my first post on this site. But I have to agree with Wayward. I also worked very hard to get folks in my neighborhood to support the Bond issue. And I know many of the individuals you have mentioned in your post. But as hard as they all worked, I don't know of any of them who would be looking for accolades or praise for their hard work. For them, it was about the children. I don't think any of them are looking for pats on the back.

I am a parent too. And when I do something for my child, something that will help him or improve his way of life, I'm not looking for praise, or recognition. I do it because it is my responsibility as a parent to do anything I have to to make sure he has the best I can afford to provide for him. And, it's not even about whether or not he appreciates it at the time. That's not what matters either.

I agree with Wayward - keep the focus where the focus belongs - on the children. I think those who worked so hard for years will see their reward and praise and thanks when they look in the eyes of the children who will benefit from that hard work - even if the children don't understand or realize it now. It's not about you, Barrister, or me or anyone else who worked on this - it's about them!

[lamarrebel]

You can bash me on this all you will, but my point is that the effort was so difficult for you, me, and everyone else supporting the bond, was in large part due to one particular personality and several decisions of the board (whether it be athletic facilities, the perception that the voters were be threatened, or other decisions that voters had problems with). I felt I had no choice at times but to tell many people to not punish our kids on May 10th, express your disapproval on some of these issues during the next school board election. Our situation was every bit as dire as that in Madison County and DeSoto County. Those counties passed bond issues easily on the first try with much less opposition. It took four times over eight years for us to get it done. People don't believe in education less here than they do other places; there was simply a lack of trust in the board and how they'd actually use the money. I hope and trust that this fear is unfounded, but nonetheless it still very real with many.

High achieving schools not only prepare its students for college and the working world, a quality school system also attracts more and better jobs into the community for those already in the work force and those children once they are grown. These things lead to safer communities with less crime and higher property values. Our kids are obviously the immediate primary focus of any effort to improve education, but there are also many secondary "big picture" benefits as well. No one is suggesting that we name the schools after anyone involved in the campaign (of course, if I sat on the board, I'd want to name one after Reagan...lol), but make the ceremonies have the same community flavor that the campaign itself did. We will all carry a sense of pride in seeing these schools built for our children for a long time to come. As a former President whose last name isn't Reagan once said, "Until he has become part of a cause larger than himself, no man is truly whole". I, and many others, came to fully understand the sentiment behind that statement during this effort.

Finally, I would submit that the board members and anyone who was visibly involved in the bond campaign who might seek politcal office in the next couple of years, will find that the anti-bond voters will have longer memories than the pro-bond voters. I don't think the Valeda Taggerts and Bill Perkins of the world have gotten over this or will anytime soon. Even though 65 percent voted for the bond, I would not be surprised if any political candidate (school board or otherwise) who was adamantly pro-bond could suffer a net-loss of votes as a result of their stand. In any controversy, the safe thing is to stay quiet, but the future doesn't belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave, and all of us stood up because we knew the bond to be right and necessary for our children and this community's future.

I'm taking the weekend off for a vacation and maybe a few more days off. Enjoy the weekend.

[Gray Ghost]

[QUOTE=hubbarrister]You can bash me on this all you will, but my point is that the effort was so difficult for you, me, and everyone else supporting the bond, was in large part due to one particular personality and several decisions of the board (whether it be athletic facilities, the perception that the voters were be threatened, or other decisions that voters had problems with).We will all carry a sense of pride in seeing these schools built for our children for a long time to come......

.....Finally, I would submit that the board members and anyone who was visibly involved in the bond campaign who might seek politcal office in the next couple of years, will find that the anti-bond voters will have longer memories than the pro-bond voters. .....
QUOTE]

I certainly don't mean to bash you, Hubbarrister. But you keep preaching to the choir as I read and reread your posts here. I don't need you to tell me how hard you personally worked. I have no doubt your efforts were enormous. You just seem to want to keep reminding those here that you worked hard. A lot of us worked hard. You don't know me and I don't know you (at least on this site), but now that the bond campaign is over, I'm not aware of anyone but you who keeps talking about how hard we worked. Quite the contrary, it's time to move on and put our hard work to task.

Someone very close to me once said, "Watch out for those who have to TELL YOU THEY ARE A CHRISTIAN and those employees who have to TELL YOU HOW HARD THEY ARE WORKING!"

Why do you feel the need to keep telling us about all of those who worked hard? They're not looking for praise or big fanfare. Move on and put your hard work to good use!

[Wayward]

You can bash me on this all you will,
[snip]
Can't see where the Ghost did any bashing. Seemed more like a differing opinion. Barristers should be used to that ...

But it IS time to stop bashing the school board, the administration, and those who opposed the bond issue. It's also time to stop the back patting and self promotion ... it is absolutely about the students and that should be the focus.

Now, lets get on with building some schools. The glass is half full, hubbarrister, the glass is half full. There's a lot of good news. :smt001

[THERebelRouser05]

Of course the children were the primary, if not sole, purpose, and being a father myself, I know as well as anyone. You would do well to quit twisting my words to fit your agenda. Read the last sentence of my previous post, "This was a historic and crucial victory for the children, and for the future growth of Lamar County..."

However, until a child reaches a certain age, I'm not sure they would appreciate the purpose of the ground breaking ceremony, and many dislike school anyway. In my our, most of my peers at a certain age, would have rather joked about burning a school rather than building one .

You can't tell me some of the kids out in Sumrall or Purvis where the schools aren't so nice aren't thrilled to be getting a new school building. Maybe if it's a big deal, the kids will appreciate it more.

[lamarrebel]

I agree, fully. I was astounded how anyone from Sumrall, especially would oppose the bond issue. The boilerroom, very poor trailers, and the like being used for classrooms were simply mind boggling to me.