Chair moves to extend Circle Elem bus-approach contract to Sept. 15 with $100-per-day penalty

At a Circle Elem school staff meeting, the group voted to extend the bus-approach contractor's deadline to Sept. 15 and impose a $100-per-day penalty for delay. Chair proposed the extension after members said the current work did not match the intended grade and exceeded the original contract schedule.

The issue arose after participants noted the project's drawings were not engineered construction plans. A staff member said the drawings had been used only to "map out the edges and how wide it was" and were not detailed blueprints for contractors. Another participant warned that "massive rains we've been getting is a big issue with this whole project," citing repeated washouts that have slowed progress.

Committee members discussed remedies, including terminating the contract and putting the project out to bid, or breaking the work into smaller sections to remain under an $80,000 threshold that can affect engineering requirements. One committee member asked whether, if the contractor ripped out and redid the work, the district would still owe the final payment; the member asked, "we still only pay the final payment of the 11,200?" Chair said the group could set a new deadline and penalties in the contract.

During the meeting the Chair moved to extend the contract to Sept. 15 and add a "$100 a day penalty" for missed deadlines. Members discussed precedent for penalties; a staff member recalled prior contracts with penalties of $150 per day for similar school projects. The motion was called to a vote and passed. Chair said Michelle would prepare and issue a new contract reflecting the amended deadline and penalty.

Staff said they would coordinate equipment scheduling and notify the school when heavy equipment would work near students so bus and safety arrangements could be made. The meeting record does not list a formal vote tally or name a second on the motion.