posted by Tom Moertel at 2:58 PM /
In a four-page letter to the School Board, Dirk A. Taylor, P.E., responds to the claims made by the School Board about the High School project and, in particular, by Director Josephine Posti in her blog post about Building C on April 20, 2010.
Mr. Taylor is a Mt. Lebanon resident, a graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, and has served as an engineer to the school district on many projects at the High School. He also served on the Design Advisory Committee and Community Advisory Committee for the currently planned High School project.
In his letter, Mr. Taylor challenges the claims the School Board has made to justify its plan to demolish Building C: asbestos abatement, temporary classrooms, travel distance between classrooms, community input, and cost savings. He goes into details, makes clear arguments, and backs them with evidence.
Summarizing, he writes, “As I have said..., I am in full agreement with the [School] Board that Mt. Lebanon High School needs a major renovation. But my 30 years of experience in the building construction industry and 40-year knowledge of the High School tell me that your proposed reconstruction design is a gross misuse of our tax dollars that will leave us with a less functional building than the existing structure we already have.”
No matter where you stand on the High School project, you owe it to yourself to read Mr. Taylor’s letter. This project is important and, no matter how it turns out, will change our community. We ought to consider every piece of evidence about it, and Mr. Taylor’s letter offers a lot of evidence to consider.
Read more:
Mr. Taylor is a Mt. Lebanon resident, a graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, and has served as an engineer to the school district on many projects at the High School. He also served on the Design Advisory Committee and Community Advisory Committee for the currently planned High School project.
In his letter, Mr. Taylor challenges the claims the School Board has made to justify its plan to demolish Building C: asbestos abatement, temporary classrooms, travel distance between classrooms, community input, and cost savings. He goes into details, makes clear arguments, and backs them with evidence.
Summarizing, he writes, “As I have said..., I am in full agreement with the [School] Board that Mt. Lebanon High School needs a major renovation. But my 30 years of experience in the building construction industry and 40-year knowledge of the High School tell me that your proposed reconstruction design is a gross misuse of our tax dollars that will leave us with a less functional building than the existing structure we already have.”
No matter where you stand on the High School project, you owe it to yourself to read Mr. Taylor’s letter. This project is important and, no matter how it turns out, will change our community. We ought to consider every piece of evidence about it, and Mr. Taylor’s letter offers a lot of evidence to consider.
Read more:
- Dirk A. Taylor’s letter to the School Board (printed with permission)
- School Board Director Josephine Posti’s blog post on Building C
Labels: dirk taylor, high school renovation, jo posti, mt. lebanon school board
9 Comments:
Great letter.
Kudos to Mr. Taylor, and much thanks for his unpaid expert opinion.
His tireless efforts make him an unsung hero in our town.
Absolutely, David Huston! Look what I found in the archives. http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2009/08/more-on-blockbuster-criticism-of-lebo.html From August 2, 2009 Blog-Lebo. Yes, Dirk Taylor, thank you for your tireless efforts. Experts, the media, and almost 4,000 signatures are saying that the school board is making a huge mistake. And the School Board just keeps on going with closed minds, pushing their own agendas.
Elaine Gillen
I've said it time and time again, Ms. Posti proclaims herself to be the champion of open dialogue. Just don't expect her to listen to what you're saying. She proclaims that she has great respect for a community in which there is a free exchange ideas. Just don't expect her to accept any of yours. Ms. Posti opposed the CAC from the outset and saw it as a challenge to her authority. She then challenged its makeup by making veiled accusations of discrimination against women. It does not surprise me that she would distort or completely ignore its findings or suggestions.
As I sit back and look at where this project has been and where it is going, I have to ponder - if the Board is right and we are wrong, why is it going nowhere? If the Board is right and we are wrong, why doesn't Ms. Posti stop trying to defend it and just build it.
I need a quick civics lesson. If the school board is not representing its constituents, do we really have to wait until their terms are over, or do we have options?
Elaine Gillen
Are members of the Master Design Team still indulging in the fantasy that Building F does not also have such asbestos-laden, sprayed-on fireproofing? What part of 4-12% asbestos don't they understand?
--Pam Scott
Robert Kinderman CAC Member
In response to Mr. Taylor's letter I have to say that I not only support his findings but also as a CAC board member and with over 30yrs experience in the field of construction, I am very concerned for our community with how this school board has managed or should I say mismanaged this new renovation.
It is very insulting to me that school board members claim or represent themselves as construction educated by simply attending countless meetings on the proposed design of this renovation. To say they are in any way qualified to make statements concerning the construction and asbestos abatement of this project is to say I am qualified to comment on medical issues just because I have attended countless medical seminars.
In summation the school board would be well advised to listen to the construction experts who actually design and construct for a living and to take the recommendations of the CAC, who collectively, have over 300yrs of design and construction experience among them, and implement said recommendations.
I can only hope, for the community's sake, that these school board members quit acting irresponsibly and start listening to the professional who have given their time and input to date.
Mr. Kinderman,
The petition circulating within our community requests a renovation of the high school which limits project spending to $75 Million dollars. On the other hand, supporters of the current plan have repeatedly stated that a satisfactory renovation cannot be achieved for $75 Million dollars. Board Director Remely even went to the effort to present a free hand cost comparison using an overhead projector at a board meeting to shoot holes in the $75 million option while showing all the features which would have to be removed by such a budgetary constraint . When I crafted the wording for the petition, I did my homework and spoke with CAC participants who believed that a desirable renovation could be accomplished within the $75 Million range. Unfortunately, I have not been able to obtain any kind of formal statement to that effect from the CAC. Is there some way that I could conduct a survey of all CAC participants regarding a budget for their proposed design? There must be some reason, most likely related to professional standards of conduct, as to why the CAC has held back on making their opinions known. I encouraged the board to form the CAC back in September and then thanked them for doing so in December. I just didn’t realize that the CAC findings would be largely dismissed. Do you think it is possible to advance an argument for a $75 Million design which can support our educational mission? If so, how? If it is possible to accomplish this goal as experts have stated, how can the concepts be presented to all who have a stake in this project, taxpayers and administration alike?
-Charlotte Stephenson
Could not have said it better than David Huston re: Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor and his letters are what I point people to when talking about the project.
Agree with Dave F. on Posti. The arrogance on the SB is astounding and the zoning debacle an embarassment to them all.
Marjie Crist
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