Scottsdale School District Will Continue Cheyenne Construction After Re-Evaluation
The Scottsdale Unified School District has partially satisfied the demands of an agreement with the state’s top prosecutor over construction projects in the district.
The attorney general’s Feb. 22 complaint focused multi-million voter-approved construction projects at Cheyenne and Hohokam elementary schools.
A new committee Tuesday re-selected Chasse Building Team, the original winners of the construction manager contract for the Cheyenne project. A district spokesperson said this confirms Chasse was the legitimate winner of the contract.
The lawsuit claims the district broke the law in part because its architect, Brian Robichaux, was not licensed at the time and unfairly influenced the selection of construction companies.
In response, the district convened a totally new selection committee to evaluate proposals. The committee includes Tony Cohill of Skyline Builders and Restoration, Howell “Chip” Shay of SPS + Architects, LLP, Jeff Stratman, the district legal counsel and chief business officer for Alhambra Elementary School District and Katie Root, principal of Laguna Elementary.
A district spokesperson said none of these people were included in the original selection process and “have no stake in the outcome.”
Construction, which was almost complete, will continue at the school uninterrupted.
RELATED: Scottsdale School Construction Project Central In AG Investigation
The estimated $7.6 million project included a new 14,000-square-foot gym, science labs, remodeling the administration building, resurfacing a parking lot and painting. Chasse was approved to spend up to $8.5 million on the project during two June 2017 governing board meetings.
The district has halted construction at Hohokam Elementary School which is named in the lawsuit.
The district agreed to suspend Hohokam’s existing construction contract and evaluate future proposals with a new selection committee.
