Badger School approve working with ICS-Builds on “Phase I: Planning

The Badger School Board talked face-to-face with ICS-Builds representative Jason Splett at its March 14 meeting. He presented to the board the three-phase process, along with costs, of hiring ICS-Builds to assist the school with a potential project. At its meeting, the board approved working with ICS-Builds on “Phase I: Planning” for $9,900. This will be paid in two installments— $4,950 this fiscal year and $4,950 next fiscal year.

“Phase I: Planning/Assessment” involves communication planning— a time to highlight the positive things happening at the school and how the district has entered into this process. It will also involve holding a listening session with staff on March 28—Badger School’s Staff Development day— and going out to get community feedback.

This first phase also includes a facility assessment summary, a building component and systems review, a space needs and demographic analysis, and an educational adequacy assessment. The $9,900 covers all of this, along with contractor travel and services costs.

“The phase one fee is going to bring us through all of that assessment, the solutioning,” Splett said back at the February 16 meeting. “It’s basically to bring us up to the point where the board decides if they’re either going to go for a referendum, do a board-approved project, or do no projects at all.”

If the district decided to go out for a referendum, “Phase II: Pre-Referendum (If Applicable)” would cost the district an additional $10,000. This would include ICS developing a microsite for the district that communicates to the community what the project and need is, what the costs are, where and how they can vote, and typically every school board presentation it has done.

From Phase I or II, the district would transition to “Phase III : Implementation,” including construction services, design services, site supervision. The costs associated with this phase would depend on the project scope, implementation model, and duration. At the March 14 meeting, Splett explained how during this phase, contracts would be negotiated based on project scope. He provided renovation and construction costs and ICS’ hourly rates for typical reimbursable costs.

Board Chairperson Jamie Isane asked Splett to confirm that the district would not take on any additional fees beyond the $9,900, unless it runs a referendum or chooses ICS to oversee a project. Splett confirmed this.

“If coming out of phase one, you’re going to do a small, little project that doesn’t require me,” Splett said, “then there’s no phase three.”

Isane then asked if by doing phase one, if the district was contracted to have ICS services for a potential small or big project. Splett responded.

“If you’re going to do a project of significance, you know I think it is mutually beneficial to both of us to be involved together,” Splett said. “If you’re going to do a little project that you guys can handle yourself, I don’t want to be involved with that.”

Splett highlighted how this agreement does tie ICS and the school into a partnership moving forward.

“We’ll agree on what projects make sense to do in what scope,” Splett said. “… We’ll sit down and talk it through.”

Splett added how if the district wants, ICS could put some language in the agreement related to different requirements for ICS’ assistance.

Badger Superintendent-Principal Kevin Ricke provided his input on this process.

“Just from my involvement in projects, in school projects, you get a lot of bang for your buck on the phase one/phase two, because the architecture design company doesn’t really get an opportunity to get a lot of dollars for the services unless they end up doing the bigger projects,” Ricke said. “So it’s almost a building a trust, building a relationship on the front end, in hopes that if we do a big dollar project that we’ll continue to partner later on.”

Splett responded before the conversation on the topic ended.

“It truly is a partnership as we look at moving forward because we’re going to spend a lot of time together,” Splett said. “And it’s a lot of effort to put these projects together successfully in the right way.”

To see the complete Badger School Board story, read the March 23 issue of The Tribune in print or online.