3 things you missed at the Nov. 17 board of trustees meeting

BY TAYLOR ROBINSON
Editor
And MADI TORTORA
Staff Writer

1. Approval of construction contract for Morris Lawrence Building Chillers Replacement Project

The Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees held one of their annual retreats on Nov. 17, but first they underwent their monthly board meeting where they voted on three action items. The first of which was approving a construction contract with Fontanesi and Kann Company Inc. of Ferndale, Michigan. The Office of Facilities Management first brought the discussion to the board at the Oct. 27 meeting. The background of the proposal includes the necessary replacement of two 25-year-old chillers. According to the agenda for action item one, “Additionally, the chillers are at the end of their useful life, are inefficient given current technology, and should be replaced.” The contract was approved for $100,255 contingent upon the college administration obtaining a satisfactory contract with the firm.

2. The board approves phase two of the CC STEP Grant Capital Equipment Purchases

The Auto Body Repair Department along with the Welding and Fabrication Department are one step closer to replacing and upgrading their equipment. With the board’s approval of contracts for the purchase of capital equipment related to the CC STEP Grant to not exceed a combined total of $1,002,588, the team is still on track for having the items delivered on schedule, near the Spring/Summer semester. With needing time to install the equipment, the department will be able to utilize it by Fall 2016. According to Brandon Tucker, dean of advanced technology and public service careers, the pieces of equipment are attached to either curriculum that has been developed or curriculum that has been redeveloped due to industry demands and needs.

3. New contract for catering option

The board of trustees made the decision to extend the contract they’ve had with Fabulous Foods as a catering option.Vice President and Chief Financial Officer William Johnson explained the process that came with the contract extension. The current contract with Fabulous Foods began in June 2010 and was set to expire May 31, 2015. However, due to the Iron Workers and UA activities during the summer months, the contract was extended until Dec. 31. The college developed a Request for Proposal to identify the necessary requirements for the catering operation, according to the board’s agenda.

A RFP review committee was formed to assess all vendors that had interest in fulfilling the catering position and make the final decision. The committee was represented by many of the key user groups, including the Iron Workers, faculty and staff, deans, and more. The committee essentially rated the different options and gave them “scores” that resulted in approximately two “finalists.” The chosen finalists were brought before the committee for further review. The new contract will commence Jan. 1, 2016 and the contract also includes a provision for a possible five-year extension at the college’s option, according to the agenda.

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