I want to thank and commend the members of the Proposal Evaluation Committee for their work on the architect selection for Salmon's new K-8 school facility. The committee, a group of ten people from across the Salmon community, wrestled with some difficult decisions. In the end, DesignWest Architect from Meridian was recommended by the committee and approved by the Salmon Board of Trustees.
Some in our community will be concerned that DesignWest is not a local firm. The evaluation committee gave this serious consideration. However, DesignWest has been a presence in our community in preparation for both an initial design concept presentation and an informed response to Salmon's desire to utilize local labor and material suppliers. Further, their proposal strongly demonstrates an understanding of Salmon's needs as well as providing a response that is NOT a cookie-cutter, big box school design. In the end, the evaluation committee gave serious consideration to what Salmon would gain from using a local architect weighed against the value DesignWest adds to our community through the strengths evident in the respective proposals considered.
This is not a time for high emotion to drive opinions and dialogue. I strongly encourage Salmon residents to become informed on why an evaluation committee of your peers chose DesignWest to work in our community. Look closely at who represented you on that committee and you will realize the selection of DesignWest was not a simple one. However, as presented to the School Board, DesignWest bring great experience and value to the Salmon community.
As public meetings are announced in the paper, on the radio, and here on our website, I encourage you to attend and stay informed on what is driving the decisions being made for our school. We are committed to a transparent process and encourage all in the Salmon community to participate in an informed dialogue!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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Hello Joey,
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to the make up of the committee, who chose each member, how they were chosen, was there a representative from the contractor/builder/trade association or someone who is familiar with public works licensing and bidding? How many women/mothers? Teachers? Current students? How about an individual from a business who's had difficulty recruiting employees into the community due to the condition of the schools? How many committee members either have or recently have had kids in the Salmon School district? I think the community would like to know who along with the how. I would hope that all the committee members are also present Monday night to field any questions and help us, the voters, understand why they came to this conclusion so that we can move forward.
Thank you,
Cori