Firms will work for work — for the right clients
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/65112/
During the past two years of the ongoing high school debate, Crafton, Tull, Sparks and Associates architecture and engineering firm has provided guidance for the Fayetteville School District on a possible high school project.
The architects developed a construction timeline, calculated cost estimates and presented ideas for where and how a new building could be constructed on the current site, 40 acres in the 1000 block of West Stone Street.
They made presentations at school board meetings and committee meetings, in addition to answering questions from school administrators.
“ There’s no question they’ve invested a lot of time and energy, ” Associate Superintendent Randy Willison said.
The bill for all of this work — nothing.
So far, the firm is not charging the district any fees for its services on matters related to a potential high school, according to the firm and district officials. Engineer Daniel Ellis, vice president, commercial, for Crafton, Tull, said it comes down to the fact that the district is a good client and that it is routine for the firm to do preparatory work at no charge without a formal contract on a project. “ We would do that for any number of clients, ” Ellis said. “ I’ve done this for private clients as well. ” Willison said it is his understanding that the firm’s practice isn’t uncommon. “ They’re investing in an opportunity to get the contract, ” he said. “ I don’t think it’s just school districts. ”
Services provided Three years ago, the district entered into a contractual arrangement with Crafton, Tull to use the firm exclusively on projects that required architectural services for the past three years. At the same time, the district named Nabholz Construction as its construction management firm to oversee new construction projects.
Their recent projects for the district include the Owl Creek School, the new gymnasium at Root Elementary, a pending expansion and renovation for Butterfield Trail Elementary and new entrances for Asbell Elementary and Woodland Junior High.
“ They’ve been a good client, and we enjoy working with them, ” Ellis said of the school district.
As part of its work on the FHS project, the firm has:
• Researched records and developed a map for the district highlighting multipleacre sites that might be large enough to house a new high school. This information was used by Fayetteville High School Select Committee 2, the group that issued a recommendation last month to move the school to 73 acres along Morningside Drive in south Fayetteville.
• Developed formal analyses of the final four sites picked by the committee. This work included ratings on the sites ’ buildable land, flood-plain coverage, tree canopy and utility availability.
• Created an illustration for a potential hybrid model on a high school project at the request of Superintendent Bobby New. The plan, designed as a compromise between no changes and a major overhaul, called for developing new common areas such as a gym and cafeteria at the current site but left most of the existing classroom space intact.
• Sent representatives on tours of other facilities. In September, firm architects Wes Burgess and David Swearingen accompanied New, Willison and three school board members on a trip to visit Clear Springs High School in Houston and Fossil Ridge High School in Colorado. The firm paid for its own travel expenses. Firm representatives also accompanied members of Select Committee 2 on a visit to the Rogers Heritage High School construction site in February.
Thad Kelly, an architect with Cromwell Associates, said his firm often does preliminary work at no cost upfront to clients as long as there is an understanding that Cromwell will be hired for the job.
“ Generally, architects across the board do work first and then work it into a project, ” he said. “ Depending on the project — how financially viable they are, how good they are — we go ahead and do the work, and then we hope we get (paid later ). ”
On a church, for example, Cromwell might develop a design so the pastor can show people what it might look like. It might take a church a few years, though, before its members raise the money to commission the project, he said.
“ That gives the tool to show the congregation, ” Kelly said. “ That’s a real common practice. ”
Another common practice is to keep track of hours worked, he said. If a project falls through, then a firm might request the client pay for services rendered. Ellis, however, said Crafton, Tull usually does not bill clients for preliminary work on a potential project without a signed contract for the job.
Future of project ? Kelly said the decision on how long to do upfront research and planning without a fee can depend on the relationship and whether the architect thinks it is a viable project at the end of the day. “ If you think it’s a good client, you ride with them, ” Kelly said. “ That goes a long way. ” Crafton, Tull’s ride with the district has included at least one delay in putting a high school project together for a millage vote and an extended debate to evaluate the location.
In the spring of 2007, the school board determined it would try to make a decision by June on whether to retain the current location or build at a new site. Board members even held a special public input meeting about the issue on June 6, but they were unable to reach a consensus on how to proceed and decided not to present a millage proposal to the public for the September election.
In September, the board decided it would form a committee, Fayetteville High School Select Committee 2, to evaluate locations and issue a recommendation.
Some of the unresolved issues in the debate over the future of the high school, which could affect the scope of Crafton, Tull’s project, include:
• The school board hasn’t acted on the Select Committee 2 recommendation to move the high school to 73 acres along Morningside Drive or to opt instead to stay at the current site.
• The board hasn’t negotiated a potential sale of the current campus to the nearby University of Arkansas. Selling the campus and changing locations has often been viewed as the most cost-effective option based on the notion that proceeds from the sale could be used to subsidize new construction cost.
• Even with a sale, it is likely construction of a new site and a major project at the current location will require a tax increase. That would have to be presented to the public for a vote in September or earlier or else the district will have to wait until 2009 to hold a tax election. A millage failure will likely delay a project.
• The exact scope and scale of a retrofit at the current site, if the school board chooses that option, has not been determined.
Despite the unresolved issues and potential delays, the firm is on track to be awarded the job of designing the high school once it is finalized. Because of the contractual arrangement with Crafton, Tull, school board attorney Rudy Moore Jr. warned the board at its February meeting that it shouldn’t seek to bid out services to other firms or seek other estimates on project costs.
The firm will charge the district a fee for its services once the building project is commissioned. The fees are typically based on the estimated cost and scope of the project and typically range from 4 percent 7 percent of the project’s cost, Ellis said.
Crafton, Tull’s latest estimate on the cost of a new high school at a new site is about $ 92 million.