Tony Pennington
The Norman Transcript

The path for Norman Public Schools into the next decade may be Facility Program Management Inc.'s to crave out as the firm was recommended as the designer for a district facility master plan.

Gathered in a special meeting Thursday, the NPS Board of Education selected FPMI's proposal over four other firms. The Atlanta-based company entered a bid of $77,000 for the contract which will now be finalized. This marks the first time NPS will outsource management of its district facility plan. And according to NPS officials, the plan could represent the direction of the district's facilities and usage for the next five to 10 years.

FPMI is expected to provide evaluations for building improvements and land development; demographic research to determine potential new sites and attendance boundaries; and energy management. A contract for the board's approval will be ready soon, but based on the comments, it appears FPMI's acceptance will not be a challenge.

"This group we are about to vote on came with high recommendations from other school districts and had some experience working in the state," said Ken McBride, board member, as FPMI has handled MAPS for Kids and work in Ardmore. Pepsi, Haagen Dazs and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are among its other clients. "I think it's an excellent idea. It will be very valuable to the school system."

Fellow board member Linda Sexton agreed with McBride and applauded the district's efforts to move forward with the project.

"I'm behind it, and excited about the possibilities," she said. "It has been a long time or if ever if we have had a comprehensive study on the needs of the district."

If a contract is accepted, Siano said the board would have a district report by late fall.

Facility management also was another topic of discussion. Item F -- a change order from Hellas Construction Inc. for asphalt repair at the Norman North High track -- on the consent agenda was removed from consideration. During the renovation of the NNHS track it was discovered the base was not sufficient to support the new surface. Officials claimed the base was in working order when NNHS was built, but the last 10 years have eroded its condition. Siano estimated it would take an additional $92,000 to $93,000 to repair the track.

The increased expenditure still places NNHS and Norman High's track resurface projects -- they were bid out with NNHS' field lighting, scoreboard and bleachers as one contract -- well under the $1,375,000 allocated in the 2005 bond funds. The original price tag was $1,129,572.85. A new change order will be written to reflect the additional costs and work related to the project. The board may enter into another special meeting to authorize the repairs.