I was extremely suspicious about the Architectural firm ATS&R when it won a much reduced bid package to put together a review and comment for the Minnesota Dept of Education. They put in a bid of over $200,000 and accepted one for $70,000 (about the same as the consultants who came in to tell Gary Glass that if he misbehaved the other School Board members could remove him from office) As I’ve written earlier it only took a half day to dispel my suspicions of these architects.
I accompanied them on tours of almost all our buildings. I’ve attended parts of two late into the evening meetings with them as their experts analyzed the complicated funding formulas for the Red Plan and applied them to the language of the Plan B petition. Two or three times these folks have driven back to the Twin Cities after staying up past midnight working with our experts, especially Art Johnson. They have steered us in the right direction and I think to the amazement and consternation of the School Administration will put together a Review and Comment that could be a slam dunk in St. Paul.
Unlike JCI I could heartily recommend them to any school district in the state of Minnesota and beyond.
The great irony may be that by the time the Minnesota Dept. of Education OK’s a refendum Ordean may have been gutted. That would make any non-binding vote less than useless except as a demonstration of the fury of Duluth over the assault by JCI and our School Board on our rights and pocketbooks.
