Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Construction Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montoursville Area SD board selects full‑time construction manager for Leiter Elementary, sets change‑order limits
Summary
The Montoursville Area SD board approved Option 2 — a full‑time, on‑site construction manager for the Leiter Elementary additions — and authorized staff to approve routine change orders up to $20,000 (superintendent) and $5,000 (director), with cumulative caps between meetings to preserve transparency.
Montoursville Area School District board members voted to select a full‑time, on‑site construction manager for the Leiter Elementary additions and set new limits for staff approval of construction change orders.
District staff and a presenter from SiteLogic described the firm’s role as day‑to‑day project oversight — reviewing change orders, confirming installations match design plans and protecting the district from design or contractor errors. The board debated whether to split oversight between existing staff or hire a single, dedicated on‑site manager; an amendment to select Option 2 (full‑time on‑site manager) passed by voice vote.
The SiteLogic representative (Presenter) said the manager’s job is to “watch for you guys” and to review change orders and submittals so the district receives what it paid for. District staff noted that asking an existing employee (referred to in the discussion as Joe) to cover two projects would be “unfair” and risk overloading that staff member; the concerns helped persuade members to favor a dedicated manager.
On related financial controls, the board authorized the superintendent to approve change orders for the additions/renovations project up to $20,000 and authorized the director of buildings and grounds to approve change orders up to $5,000. During debate, members proposed an additional cap on the total value of change orders authorized between regular meetings to prevent multiple small approvals from adding up without board awareness; the working compromise discussed was a $60,000 cap between meetings for superintendent approvals and $20,000 between meetings for the director’s approvals. The board approved the change‑order authorizations and the related limits by voice vote.
Board members said the change‑order limits are intended to balance keeping the project moving with public transparency. One member asked whether the cost of hiring a full‑time manager was already included in the project estimate; staff replied it is included in the project estimates.
The board’s approvals cover the construction‑management selection and the administrative authority for routine change orders; no detailed vote tallies by member were recorded in the meeting transcript.
What’s next: staff will proceed under the approved Option 2 construction‑management arrangement and implement the change‑order authorization process described to the board.
