Southtowns Record

Eden Central School District – Capital Project Management (2024M-83)

Government
Eden Central School District
Posted by publisher
Oct 4, 2024
Kind
State audit
Topics
Audits and oversight, Budget and taxes, Roads and traffic

Publisher's summary

Determine whether the Eden Central School District (District) Board of Education (Board) and District officials provided sufficient oversight of and managed the District’s 2022 capital project (project) in a transparent manner.

Original document

Text · page 6 of 17

indicated specific additional work that could be completed within the project’s approved cost. For
example, the proposition stated that “if the budget allows after receiving construction bids, or if other
items are identified, additional similar renovations, upgrades, and improvements (such as priority LED
lighting installations) could be undertaken.” Ultimately, officials did not provide voters and residents
with a detailed plan that fully described the additional work added to the project and did not present or
discuss the additional work being planned in a public Board meeting before they authorized the work.

Also, while the adopted proposition stated that “no material change shall be made in the overall scope
and nature of the Proposition No. 1 Project,” the Superintendent and Director canceled the bus garage
roof replacement totaling $239,156 without informing the Board or voters and without explaining the
project modification. The Superintendent and Director told us that they canceled the bus garage roof
replacement because of the mandate to convert the District’s bus fleet to electric buses, which are
larger than the District’s current buses and would not fit in the existing bus garage. Two Board members
and the Board President were unaware of this project change and could not recall a meeting during
which the cancellation of the bus garage roof replacement was presented or discussed.

  As of December 2023, the District approved
Figure 1: Additional Work Not Included in the  additional construction contracts and change
Original Project Plans  orders totaling $545,538 for items that were
Domestic water and pool heater  not listed or described in the original project
replacement  $392,945  proposition. Specifically, $434,575 was related
Water line replacement  $41,630  to additional work that was not included in the
  Total  $434,575  original project plans or submitted as part of the
  original project application to SED (Figure 1).

The remaining $110,963 was presented  Figure 2: Change Orders for Work Not Included in
as change orders to existing contracts for Original Project Plans
additional work that was not included in the  Middle/High School
original project plans (Figure 2).
  Future scoreboard  $37,215
The Board President and Superintendent  Install return line for domestic water heater  17,652
told us that while the project was ongoing,  Pool piping modification  16,476
they determined there would be excess  Replace crosswalk signs  12,557
funds and, therefore, planned to complete  Upgrade perimeter fencing to black vinyl  4,937
additional work. However, we determined  Total  $88,837
that excess funds were available because  Elementary School
officials rejected a portion of the original
  Display case modification  $2,737
proposition work totaling $575,250 in
  Total  $2,737
2021. The rejected work included the bus
garage roof replacement and sidewalk  Grover L. Priess Primary School
renovation at the elementary school. The  Install tile carpet  $16,127
Superintendent, Director, three Board  Emergency switch module for gymnasium  2,662
members and the Board President told us  Install fence gate  600
that the changes were never presented to  Total  $19,389
the Board for discussion or approval at a  Grand Total  $110,963
Board meeting.

4  Of f ic e of t he New York State Comptroller