November 2006 Newsletter

Welcome to the first issue of the PUSD Bond Program E-Newsletter.Thanks to voter approval of Measure E on March 7, 2006, the District has embarked on a $56 million multi-year program design and construction effort that will strengthen and improve aging school facilities in the Piedmont community. 

Website Launched November 1
Thanks to web design consultant, Cyndy Johnsen of Pixelesque Designs, the Public Engagement Committee and Program Manager, David Burke, the PUSD Bond Program¹s website has been launched.For questions, comments, and feedback, simply e-mail us from the website.To visit the website, just click PUSDBOND .

Proposition 1D Passes
With the passage of Proposition 1D on November 7, $7.3 billion will become available for K-12 school construction throughout the state.Prop 1D¹s passage improves Piedmont¹s chances for receiving state matching funds.Based on state eligibility requirements, it is estimated that PUSD may be eligible for approximately $12 – $14 million in state matching funds.Access to these funds is on a first come, first served basis.To learn more, go to EDSOURCE ; respond to a quick question; enter Prop 1D in the search box, and click on the EdSource article. 

Program Management Firm Hits the Ground Running
At 8 AM the morning after the Board of Education approved a contract for program management services with CAPITAL PROGRAM MANAGEMENT (CPM) , Program Manager, David Burke, and Principal Michael Wasserman, attended a Citizens¹ Oversight Committee, presented an overview of their plans to develop a Draft Master Implementation Plan, and responded to questions from the 12 member committee.Since then they have been meeting with the Technical Advisory, Public Engagement, and Steering Committees, and managing the process for identifying a pool of qualified architectural/engineering service firms.They are currently assisting the district in finalizing a contract for structural engineering and cost estimation work at PHS and Havens. 

Murakami/Nelson Selected to Conduct Engineering Work at Priority Sites
The Board has given Superintendent Hubbard the go ahead to enter into negotiations withMURAKAMI/NELSON for structural engineering and cost estimation work at the highest priority schools, Piedmont High School and Havens Elementary School.The Board approved a purchase order not to exceed $100,000 to begin engineering investigations.The firm will take advantage of the Winter Break in order to do work that would otherwise disrupt the school day.

District Welcomes Public Input
On October 12, Board VP June Monach, welcomed twenty-five citizens to the first in a series of public engagement meetings on the Bond Program.Piedmont citizens heard from Superintendent Constance Hubbard on the school district¹s progress on the bond program; Program Manager Dave Burke on the framework for developing the Master Implementation Plan; and Board Member Ray Gadbois on ways citizens can obtain information and stay involved during the planning process.Thanks to those who participated in the first meeting.Spread the word that there will be more chances to meet the people who are making this community endeavor a reality.To view a slide presentation from the meeting, just clickPOWERPOINT and choose the PowerPoint Presentation at the top.

Up Next: Priority Setting Discussions on Educational Needs
The next major bond program milestone will be Winter of 2007 when the Board will solicit input from the community on recommended construction options for school buildings on the PHS and Havens campuses.In preparation for this milestone, the next round of public engagement meetings will focus on the prioritization of educational program needs identified by school staff.These discussions together with the next level of structural engineering and cost estimation work to be conducted by Murakami/Nelson will inform the District and CPM in making recommendations to the Board and community on which construction options make the most sense. Save the dates: 

November 28, PHS Library, 7-9 pm: Discuss needs identified by PHS staff 

November 30* Ellen Driscoll Aud, 7-9 pm: Discuss needs identified by Havens staff 

Although these will be site specific discussions, anyone interested in learning more and asking questions is welcome to attend.A community-wide meeting will be scheduled in early January to discuss both high school and elementary level needs. 

Changed from November 29 due to conflict with Tree Lighting Ceremony.

This update was posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at 7:43 pm.