New schools: dollars and sense
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ometimes John Gullo rubs people the wrong way.
That's what we like about him -- even though sometimes we're on the wrong side of the sandpaper.
Gullo, entrepreneur, self-made millionaire, philanthropist and for the past couple of years a member of the Ogden School Board, makes it his business to see that his chosen home, Ogden, does as well as it possibly can. That's why, in his capacity as an elected school board member, he's calling for a top-to-bottom review of the way the district constructs and/or refurbishes school buildings.
Like everyone in Ogden, Gullo was stunned to discover that the $95.3 million school bond passed by voters in June 2006 would be $40 million short of what's now needed to build new schools and rehabilitate others -- the discrepancy being blamed on the skyrocketing cost of building materials. Gullo, understandably, is skeptical that overall prices really have increased 42 percent in a year, or even 18 months.
He's asking to have the whole process -- from hiring the architect right on through to the finishing touches on the buildings -- sifted and examined so that the district can be sure there's no room for waste or, heaven forbid, excessive profit-taking.
What's got Gullo questioning the 42 percent increase in costs is, he says, the fact that if identical cost increases were plaguing the private sector, we'd see far fewer buildings being built than we are right now -- in Ogden or anywhere else. A 42 percent bump in costs for many projects, he suspects, would make them too expensive to be profitable.
Gullo says when it comes to building new schools, the Ogden School District has always operated the way it is now, and that's basically no different than the way other Top of Utah school districts put projects together. It may or may not be the best way to accomplish the goal; he'd just like to have his mind put at ease.
We second his call for a thorough vetting of the process. Either it will put all minds to rest on the matter, or we'll discover there's a less-expensive way to build new schools.
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