CCC board tables request for residence repairs

CLOVIS — The Clovis Community College Board of Trustees wants to make sure when Charles Nwankwo arrives as president, they have a house that’s perfect for him and his family.

But they also don’t want to pay $186,770.

That’s why, via a 4-1 vote, trustees tabled the request for fixes to the residence at 1621 E. 21st St. to see if staff could work with vendor Griego and Sons on a less expensive bid.

The work, funded through CCC’s Building, Renewal and Replacement funds, included four proposed components:

• Interior painting ($14,857.49)

• Concrete patio replacement in the rear ($13,037.32)

• Demolition of the pool house and pool ($35,620.48)

• Construction of a patio and pavilion ($105,475.27)

Trustees said removing the pool was an obvious need in terms of liability, especially since the Nwankwo family includes a pair of toddlers. But Board President Terry Martin didn’t believe the latter two items should be that expensive.

“My concern, being in construction, is that we can get it cheaper than that,” Martin said. “The pool is where I have a problem.”

Vice President of IT and Operations Norman Kia said he went with Griego and Sons for the job because it was the only Cooperative Educational Services contractor in the area and it had a long-standing relationship with the college. But he said he was a little surprised at the price that came back as well.

Trustees had no issues with the panting work or the concrete patio replacement, and Kia said the paint crews would work with the Nwankwos because it seemed appropriate to let them pick colors for the place where they’d live. Trustee Laura Leal asked if the work included an outdoor kitchen in the back yard. Interim President Robin Kuykendall said the kitchen was one of a series of smaller jobs the college is handling in-house instead of contracting to save money.

Trustees asked if the house renovations could be handled as separate items. Chief Procurement Officer Corey Isaacs said the college approached the house as one job to avoid any appearance of “bid splitting,” the breakup of a public project into smaller pieces to circumvent competitive bidding requirements.

Trustee Raymond Mondragon wanted to make sure the house is welcoming and safe for the Nwankwos.

“He’s really excited to come to Clovis Community College,” Mondragon said. “He wants to make this the best college in the state.”

However, Mondragon shared Martin’s concerns and moved to table the request with the intent to revisit the matter via special meeting as soon as possible.

Trustee Lora Harlan cast the dissenting vote. She said she didn’t have experience in construction and couldn’t speak to the estimates, but believed the information the trustees received in the Griego and Sons quote was thorough.

In other business at the Wednesday meeting:

• Mondragon gave four “Shining Star” awards for work done in the last few months.

“We requested a lot from some people,” Mondragon said, “and they got things done for us.”

Awards went to Paul Aragon, director of facilities; Freddie Salazar, director of campus security; Kia and Kuykendall.

• Trustees received a report on the disbursement of financial aid during the 2018-19 academic year. The college disbursed $5.63 million in various forms of aid, largely through Pell grants ($3.93 million).

Financial Aid Director April Chavez pointed out the college awarded twice as much in allied health scholarships ($24,000) than it did the previous year. The scholarships include one year of loan forgiveness per year served at a high-needs facility.

• Mondragon noted that he lost his re-election bid to Carolyn Spence Tuesday night, and thanked everybody for all they did during his four years on the board.

“You guys made me feel as part of the family at CCC,” Mondragon said. “I will always have Clovis Community College in my heart.”

Spence assumes the trustee position in January, but Mondragon said the college hasn’t traditionally had January meetings due to the winter break.