Western Heights Middle School roof replacement project back on track

Sherry Greenfield, The Herald-Mail

May 17, 2022 at 5:53 AM·3 min read

The roof replacement at Western Heights Middle School is back on track after a delay due in part to the availability of materials as a result of the pandemic.

But the contractor who originally won the bid for the project in April 2021 is upset because it had wanted to work with Washington County Public Schools to complete the project.

"(Washington County Public Schools) has since re-bid the project, as was the plan," Erin Anderson, communications officer for WCPS stated in an email. "Due to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, it was understood that the cost of the project was going to exceed the $1.33 million bid submitted by the original contractor."

The Washington County Board of Education awarded a contract to DProject Inc. for the replacement of the roof at Western Heights Middle School on April 6, 2021, for $1.33 million.

The company notified the school system on May 3, 2021, of the supply chain issues and asked for relief from the contracted completion date.

Washington County Public Schools canceled its contract with DProject in August to replace the roof on the school. The contract was canceled after the company advised the school system that there were issues with the supply chain due to the pandemic, Jeffrey Proulx, the school system's chief operating officer said at the time.

DProject told WCPS staff that it was seeing "significant overruns" in the project and wanted to pass those costs onto the school system, Proulx said.

"At the time the original contract was terminated, WCPS informed the original contractor that the roofing project would be re-bid and that the contractor was welcome to submit an updated proposal," Anderson said. "The contractor chose to not do so."

Western Heights: COVID-caused supply shortage leads to cancellation of Washington County Public Schools roof replacement project

Administrators: Washington County Public Schools sees little diversity among top leadership

Ban Law would ban student sex offenders from Washington County Public Schools' property

Anderson said the new submitted bids were opened on May 4, but the Washington County Board of Education has yet to award the contract.

Meanwhile, Bill Tziamouranis with DProject, confirmed in an email that his company informed WCPS of delays receiving materials due to shortages and the market situation.

"Additionally, we did inform (WCPS) of potential price increase that we were informed of from our suppliers and manufacturers as this was the case of all materials from all suppliers," he stated.

The increase ranged between 3% and 4% for materials only, he said.

Tziamouranis said his company wanted to work with school system to complete the project.

Materials would be stored on site, and the company was willing to work and complete the project through the summer, while the school was closed, and through the school year, after hours and during weekends, he said.

"… The project would have been completed by now, with a 3% to 4% potential price increase only on materials," he said. "This increase was an estimation and the county could (have) not accepted the increase and we would still have to complete the project."

DProject had already started receiving materials and had completed plumbing work.

Tziamouranis did not answer as why his company did not submit a new bid.

Sherry Greenfield is the Education Reporter, covering Washington County Public Schools and the Washington County Board of Education.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: WCPS roof replacement project back on track after COVID-19 delays

AFP
Croatia's populist president appears set for re-election
Croatians were casting ballots Sunday in a presidential runoff where the populist incumbent Zoran Milanovic appears set to win a second term, in what would be a blow to the scandal-hit governing party.On Sunday, after casting his ballot in Zagreb, Milanovic voiced confidence in victory.
USA TODAY
Crews race to contain LA wildfires as menacing winds may ramp up: Live updates
The Palisades Fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles' history, increased in size to another 1,000 acres.
TODAY
What we know about the victims killed in the California wildfires
At least two of the people killed in the Southern California wildfires tried to protect the homes where they raised families and lived for decades, while another stayed behind with his son who had cerebral palsy and could not evacuate.
CNN
‘Cautious optimism’ as Mossad chief arrives in Qatar for ceasefire-for-hostages talks
Israeli negotiators attending ceasefire and hostage release talks in Doha have expressed “cautious optimism,” even as some gaps between both sides persist, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Associated Press
Russia forms an emergency task force as Kerch Strait oil spill continues to spread
An emergency task force arrived in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on Sunday as an oil spill in the Kerch Strait from two storm-stricken tankers continues to spread a month after it was first detected, officials said. The task force, which includes Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, was set up after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on authorities to ramp up the response to the spill, calling it “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in recent years." The Emergencies Ministry said Saturday that over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been collected since oil spilled out of two tankers during a storm four weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula from the Krasnodar region.
TODAY
TikTok creators share ‘evacuation hauls’ amid LA wildfires. What experts say to bring in an emergency
As deadly fires continue to blaze across the greater Los Angeles area, residents are being forced to evacuate their homes.
Associated Press
Chad’s ruling party wins majority in parliamentary election boycotted by main opposition
N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Chad’s ruling party took the majority of votes in last month’s parliamentary election, which was boycotted by the main opposition and which analysts had said would consolidate the president's political power, provisional results show. In what was the first parliamentary election in Chad in more than a decade, the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement party won 124 out of 188 seats, while the voter turnout was 51.5%, according to the provisional results announced late Saturday by Ahmed Bartchiret, head of the electoral commission.
CNN
White Christian nationalists are poised to remake America in their image during Trump’s second term, author says
Donald Trump’s second term will empower the White Christian nationalist movement, says scholar Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of “Jesus and John Wayne.” “It will transform our government,” she says. “They have seen their movement go mainstream, and now they have incredible access to power.”
Reuters
Voters in Comoros head to polls to elect 33-seat parliament
Voters in Comoros were heading to the polls on Sunday to elect the Indian Ocean archipelago's 33-seat parliament, a year after the re-election of President Azali Assoumani in a poll which the opposition alleged was marred by widespread irregularities. Officials from the ruling party have denied those allegations. Comoros last had parliamentary elections in January 2020.
AFP
Toll from French tram crash rises to 68 injured
The toll from a collision of two trams in Strasbourg has risen to 68 injured in a rare accident that sowed panic near the eastern French city's main train station, authorities said Sunday.As a result of the collision, 68 people were injured, according to the prefecture, which released an updated toll Sunday.
Associated Press
Germany says sanctions against Syrian war crimes suspects must stay but people need relief
Germany’s foreign minister said Sunday that sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month's overthrow of President Bashar Assad. Annalena Baerbock spoke to reporters after arriving in Saudi Arabia for a conference on Syria's future attended by top European and Middle Eastern diplomats. Germany is one of several countries that imposed sanctions on the Assad government over its brutal crackdown on dissent.
Associated Press
The rate of HMPV infections in northern China is declining, Chinese health official says
The rate of infections with the flu-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in northern China is declining, a health official said Sunday, amid some international concern over a potential pandemic. HMPV, which belongs to the same family as the respiratory syncytial virus, causes flu or cold-like symptoms including fever, cough and nasal congestion. The symptoms often clear up by themselves, though they can cause lower respiratory tract infections among children, older adults and those immunocompromised.
Associated Press
Pope Francis baptizes 21 babies in annual ceremony at the Sistine Chapel
Pope Francis baptised 21 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday under the ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo, in what has become an annual tradition that marks the end of the Christmas holiday period at the Vatican. Francis celebrated the Lord’s gift of faith to the children, stressing they were the protagonists of the ceremony. The pontiff personally administered the sacrament of baptism on the infants, who are the children of Vatican employees working at the Holy See.
AFP
Malala Yousafzai tells Muslim leaders not to 'legitimise' Taliban
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders on Sunday not to legitimise the Afghan Taliban government and to "show true leadership" over their assault on women's rights.You can show true leadership.
Associated Press
Comoros holds a parliamentary election boycotted by some opposition parties
Comoros held a parliamentary election Sunday that some opposition leaders pledged to boycott, accusing President Azali Assoumani and his ruling party of adopting an increasingly authoritarian stance and raising concerns over the integrity of the vote. Results are expected next week, according to the national electoral commission. Assoumani's Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros party and its coalition partners won 20 out of the 24 seats that were contested in the last parliamentary election in 2020.
Associated Press
15 killed in an explosion and fire at a gas station in central Yemen
An explosion at a gas station triggered a massive fire in central Yemen, killing at least 15 people, health officials said Sunday. The explosion occurred Saturday at the Zaher district in the province of Bayda, the Houthi rebel-run Health Ministry said in a statement. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the explosion.
USA TODAY
A firefighter with Parkinson's lost her health benefits. Supreme Court weighs if she can sue
The issue of whether retirees can sue their former employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act has divided lower courts.
AFP
Alice Weidel, German far right's unlikely hope for chancellor
As someone born in West Germany who is openly gay and has a non-German partner, Alice Weidel is in some ways a surprising choice as the far-right AfD's candidate for chancellor ahead of February elections.Weidel, who lives in Switzerland and has two sons with her Sri Lankan partner, was officially crowned as the AfD's chancellor candidate at an upbeat party conference this weekend.
Associated Press
Fire in a restaurant in northern Czech Republic kills 6 people
A fire broke out in a restaurant in northern Czech Republic, killing six people and leaving six others with serious injuries, officials said Sunday. Firefighters said the U Kojota restaurant in the city of Most, some 100 kilometers (63 miles) north of Prague, was still open when the fire started before midnight Saturday. Police and firefighters said the likely cause was a gas heater that overturned.
Reuters
Chad ruling party wins parliamentary majority, provisional results show
N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's ruling party won two-thirds of the seats in the legislative election which was boycotted by many in the opposition last month, provisional results showed on Sunday, reinforcing President Mahamat Idriss Deby's hold on power. Results of the Dec. 29 election seal the oil-producing Central African nation's transition to constitutional rule more than three years after Deby seized control following the sudden death of his father and long-standing predecessor Idriss Deby Itno. Deby's party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement, secured 124 of the 188 seats at the National Assembly, the national electoral body said.

Latest Stories