Tidehaven ISD
District Program and Facilities Advisory
Planning Committee Meeting
January 15, 2008

 Summary of Meeting 

The open forum began at 7:00 p.m. with Mr. Jones welcoming all members and visitors.  There were 22 members and 9 visitors. Mr. Jones asked Ms. Carol Schmickrath to introduce herself and her family members. After a brief review of the past seven meetings, Mr. Jones introduced Cameron Hollomon, a technical specialist from the Region 4 ESC Facility Service Team. 

Mr. Hollomon used a Powerpoint presentation to show the committee some preliminary findings of his team.  He began by explaining that the final report, to be presented to the committee in March, will contain an explanation of the components of the report and the benefits that could be derived from the team’s assessment. 

In his preliminary report, Mr. Hollomon presented pictures that demonstrated some potential problems on our current facilities.  These pictures concentrated on the high school campus, as Mr. Hollomon’s team has not completed all the campus assessments.  The first area of concern that was shown to the committee involved fire alarms and systems.  The high school does not currently meet required standards.  Much of the hardware (on exits) has reached the end of its life cycle and at the time of testing the emergency lighting was not operational.  According to the team’s assessment, the fire panel at the high school is also outdated. 

Mr. Hollomon provided information concerning the drainage of the high school property.  He said that the lack of proper drainage is cause for concern.  The high school parking lot does not drain adequately and the assessment team feels that over time this will cause damage to the parking lot.  They encouraged the district to consider scheduled maintenance for the paved parking areas.  The parking lot is also missing the proper signage for handicapped parking.  The parking lot also needs further striping to meet mandated requirements.  Mr. Hollomon was also concerned that most of the culverts around the school property have not been cleaned enough to allow good drainage. 

Plumbing was the next topic in the preliminary report.  The assessment team feels that the current field line system used by the high school is inadequate.  Many of the plumbing fixtures have reached the end of their life cycle and need replacing.  The team said there is a lack of water cutoffs.  There is some asbestos in the maintenance closet and this will require proper removal.  The main plumbing concern is the cast iron pipes that run under the cafeteria foundation.  They are cracked and in need of replacement.   This would be a major construction project. 

Mr. Hollomon touched on some environmental issues the team found during their assessment of the high school.  Some of the areas of concern include a small area of asbestos flooring; leaking roofs and non-functioning exhaust fans, which cause bad indoor air quality; cracked and corroded sewer lines causing indoor odors; and cracks in the exterior of buildings, which are allowing access for rodents. 

Exterior building concerns included in the report include decaying wood, wooden soffit in need of repair and enclosure, and walls pulling away from foundations due to leaks allowing water to penetrate between the tin exterior and the wood frame. 

Mr. Hollomon then welcomed questions from committee members and visitors.  The questions brought forward were:

1. Has the electrical systems at Markham Elementary and Blessing Elementary been inspected?  Mr. Hollomon indicated that the team did a preliminary assessment of both campuses; and, yes, the electrical systems are in need of immediate improvement.
2. Has the High School electrical system been inspected?  Mr. Hollomon indicated it had been and that the current system is “maxed out”, indicating that it is in need of updating as well.
3. Are these types of infrastructure problems found all over Texas (in public schools)?  Mr. Hollomon said that it is a statewide problem.
4. Where do funds for improvement come from?  Mr. Jones and Mr. Hollomon explained that the majority of funds are derived from local tax revenues, bond elections, and a small amount is available, if you qualify, from federal and state programs.
5. When can the committee anticipate a more complete report?  Cameron indicated his team would have more preliminary information for the next meeting of the Programs and Facilities Committee in February and anticipates a complete report by March.
6. What types of numbers/information will be on this report?  The report will give options, not just one plan of action, explaining what the district will need to do to become compliant with building codes.  The report will include an estimated cost of each option.
7. Will the report include an estimated amount if the district should choose to do new construction?  Mr. Hollomon said that his team is not able to provide such estimates, as they are not in that line of business.  Mr. Jones explained to the committee that we can consult with architects and engineers if the committee would like to see estimated costs of new construction.  Mr. Jones said the committee may also want to consider consulting with other local schools who have recently constructed similar structures.

Mr. Jones asked Ms. Carol Schmickrath to address the committee.  Ms. Schmickrath stated that she and the members of her family, who were present, represent Tresos Limited, a family operated farming business.  Ms. Schmickrath gave a brief history of her family and how they came to own the land adjacent to the high school football field.  Ms. Schmickrath’s father was a staunch supporter of education and served on the Board of Wharton County Junior College for many years, but, Ms. Schmickrath stressed that her father was a farmer and, first and foremost, he believed that farmers and their livelihood needed to be protected.  She wanted the committee to know that given her father’s strong feelings and that the property adjacent to the high school football field is not for sale.  Ms. Schmickrath said that she and her family wanted to meet with the committee in person so that there were no misunderstandings as to their intentions for the land and are asking the committee to please consider their request that they do not wish to sell the land. 

Mr. Jones then addressed the committee and the Tresos Limited family to clarify some items.  Mr. Jones explained to the group how he made initial contact with Tresos Limited and how he had used visuals in his Powerpoint presentations, some of which could have been misunderstood by anyone viewing the slides.  He apologized and said that the presentation was not meant to indicate that the land adjacent to the high school was for sale and that there was no attempt on the part of the committee to hide anything from the land owners nor their current land renters. 

Mr. Gerald Wendel, Tidehaven ISD Board Trustee, then addressed the Tresos Limited family to reassure them that the Board of Trustees had approached Mr. Jones about the possible purchase of the land adjacent to the high school many months before the formation of the Programs and Facilities Committee.  Mr. Wendel explained to the Tresos Limited family that with the expected growth of Matagorda County and the Tidehaven School District that the committee was only inquiring as to the possibility of a purchase in the future with that particular land being the most logical choice due to accessibility. 

The committee then looked at a timeline of when a presentation to the board might occur, with May or June of 2008 being possible options.  The timeline for a possible bond election, should the committee present that option to the board, included May of 2008 or November of 2009, the next two times a bond election could take place. 

The committee decided their next meeting will be on February 12, 2008.  The meeting will take place in the High School LRC beginning at 6:45 p.m. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

PowerPoint Presentation for January 15, 2008 Meeting (pages 1-21)
PowerPoint Presentation for January 15, 2008 Meeting (pages 22-43)

PowerPoint Presentation for January 15, 2008 Meeting (pages 1-21) pdf
PowerPoint Presentation for January 15, 2008 Meeting (pages 22-43) pdf

Region IV TISD Facilities Assessment (Powerpoint 2007)
Region IV TISD Facilities Assessment pdf