Roofing, custodians on Monday's LISD agenda
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

Louise school trustees will talk about roofing and janitorial services when they hold their regular meeting Monday night.

The board last month held off revising the roofing contract for its new fitness center, a project already approved with Jaco Construction, because trustees decided they'd rather re-roof the entire gym and band hall complex.

Jaco was the winning bidder to install Duralast roofing for just the gym roof over the fitness center, the whole gym, or the gym and band hall.

The board wanted to make sure the bids, submitted in February 2007, were still valid.

In the district's old elementary gymnasium, trustees are creating a fitness center in unused space at a cost of about $57,000, to accommodate fitness gear it will buy with a $200,000, multi-year federal grant.

Last month, trustees unanimously approved $110,854 in fitness gear, all paid for out of the federal grant.

The board's Monday agenda also includes dealing with custodial and maintenance services, which were privatized in May 2005. The district hoped to save $53,000 per year by doing so, and though it was initially pleased with the services of Industrial Quality Services, Inc. of Houston, by April 2007 those feelings had changed and trustees hired a separate company to do grounds-keeping work.

Monday trustees will decide what steps to take next, because IQS has decided not to seek an extension of its contract, which expires in May.

"Actually, it was mutually agreed," said LISD Superintendent Andy Peters. "We are so small that these firms can't make money and provide us with the quality of service we need."

The last time the custodial contract was put out for bids, in spring 2007, IQS was the only bidder.

The board will also look at textbook purchases and approving a textbook committee, the technology plan for next school year, budget amendments and Superintendent Andy Peters' annual evaluation.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14 in the district's meeting room, in the administration building at 408 Second in Louise. Board meetings are open to the public.