The Latest On Richmond Public Schools and ADA

Dovi delivers on the Richmond Magazine site: The Richmond Public School administration hasn’t renewed its contract with the construction management firm overseeing the school district’s efforts to bring its buildings into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by 2013. The district plans to ask the city administration to provide ADA-compliance oversight, and other consolidation […]

February 8, 2011; 9:54 PM • by Oregon Hill

Dovi delivers on the Richmond Magazine site:

The Richmond Public School administration hasn’t renewed its contract with the construction management firm overseeing the school district’s efforts to bring its buildings into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by 2013. The district plans to ask the city administration to provide ADA-compliance oversight, and other consolidation of city and school services may be on the way.

P. Andy Hawkins, the district’s chief operating officer, says the district has informed McDonough Boylard and Peck that it will no longer provide oversight on ADA construction compliance, which was started after a 2006 out-of-court settlement agreement between the Richmond School Board and a group of parents and students.

The post continues:

“They have been notified that [the contract] will not be renewed,” Hawkins says. “The contract — we felt like we would be better served by going through the city.” He adds, “The schools really belong to the city, and the city is better able to handle these projects.”
MBP declined to comment. “We are not able to discuss further details of the ADA program or our contract since it is part of an ongoing settlement in a federal court case between RPS and plaintiff group,” says Danielle Prezioso, MBP’s communications director.
Oversight of the ADA projects under both MBP and school officials was questioned last year after a Richmond magazine investigation revealed that MBP had approved questionable charges from subcontractors on projects, including paying for architectural design of parking signs, which are commercially available. Also some of the completed projects were not ADA-compliant. During March 2008 and March 2010 when those projects were completed, MBP had billed RPS $706,504.

Tammy Hawley, spokeswoman for Mayor Dwight C. Jones, confirmed that a larger conversation related to consolidation of city and schools services has been ongoing.

To read even more, go to the post by clicking here.

My question, as always, is what does this mean for Open High, which is in Oregon Hill?