By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

RESERVE – The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board elected to begin anew with the request for proposals process in light of the recent termination of Hammerman and Gainer’s disaster management contract.
New Superintendent of Schools Kevin George debated briefly on whether to issue the contract to CSRS, the company that took the second score total during the Disaster Management Selection Committee’s selection process or to issue a new RFP. George listed the pros of the first option and said he couldn’t think of any cons.
“Right now, we have two schools that have been sitting out there for a year, and no work has been done. As superintendent, I’m embarassed by that. There’s one thing we have to do, and that means we have to act. It would put to rest this 12-month saga we’ve been going through and give answers to the parents and teachers of East St. John High School and Lake Pontchartrain Elementary,” he said.
Several board members brought cons to the forefront, however.
“Why should we entrust CSRS to do in three weeks, what they couldn’t do in three months? Why should we entrust CSRS to build East St. John and Lake Pontchartrain when I’m getting nothing but complaints from West St. John High, West St. John Elementary and LaPlace Elementary about the quality of work that’s been done there,” said board member Rodney Nicholas.
Joe Calderera of J. Caldarera & Co., the company that took the third spot in the the selection process, suggested that the board had more than just two options on the table.
“With all due respect to all every one of you, the evaluation process of the original RFPs that went in was a joke,” he said.
Calderera went on to criticize the selection process, list his company’s extensive qualifications and mention that his company was the only one of the three that had actual experience constructing schools.
“Not only are we the only real local contractor here, we’re the only contractor that has ever built a school of anyone that submitted. I’m not a political guy, I don’t do a lot of political contributions, which probably is why I’m on nobody’s list as a favorite. I’m not your favorite. I’m the best guy to do the job, and I’ll make that commitment and promise, and if I’m not you can fire me,” he said.
Board member Patrick Sanders suggested the substitute motion to issue a new RFP, which passed almost unanimously with eight yeas, two nays and one absent.
The board also passed a motion to go out for bid for the public works contract to build the Lake Pontchartrain temporary campus, at the request of George. George also dispelled some of the tense atmostphere with “a little bit of good news,” and motioned to authorize a one-time payment of $550 to full-time personnel that do not qualify for the 1/4 cent sales tax distribution. The motion passed with no opposition, much to the audience’s delight.
Residents were still venting their frustrations about the state of the Adult Education Center, even toward the end of the meeting. Board members Albert Burl and Russell Jack agreed to speak with some parents personally to put some at ease. In response, George said will plan a public meeting meeting at the site to address concerns within the next week.