Wage Committee Forwards Recommendation to School Board


(posted Dec 9)

A Common Wage Committee serving the Board of Trustees of the School Town of Speedway passed a recommendation to use the 2007 AFL-CIO wages for 2008 construction projects.

The school board still needs to accept or reject the wage committee's recommendation at the January 8 meeting. The wage scale is needed for the renovation of four science rooms at the high school and a potential junior high school project.

The high school renovations include technology and modifications to HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems to accommodate the new layout. The project costs range from $619,169 - $738,712. According to Superintendent Ken Hull, any construction project over $150,000 requires a common wage committee to determine the wage scale.

The junior high school's project to replace the telescoping bleacher unit with a motorized bleacher unit should cost $135,988, but it was decided to include the project in the wage scale just in case the project exceeds $150,000. Both projects are expected to start May 30 and be completed by August 1.

The wage committee was comprised of Morris Pollard, Connie Harris, Dave Murray of the city county council and Devon Springman. Springman, representing the AFL-CIO, submitted the 2007 wages to vie with the state's workforce development 2004 labor wages. The committee used the updated information. The state's department of labor representative did not attend the meeting. Springman called for public comments twice and no other wage scales were submitted to the committee.

Hull said the AFL-CIO wages could not be given to the press until the school board accepts or rejects the recommendation in January.