2000-07-14                     House Journal                      Page 3897
HB 445                                                                       
The following letter was dated and received on June 8, 2000:                   
                                                                               
"Dear Speaker Porter:                                                          
                                                                               
Under the authority of art. II, sec. 15 of the Alaska Constitution, I have     
vetoed the following bill:                                                     
                                                                               
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 445(RLS) am                                             
"An Act relating to a rural school construction and planned                   
maintenance pilot program; and providing for an effective date."               
                                                                               
This bill is well intentioned and could be an innovative approach to           
enhance cost-effective design, construction, and maintenance                   
techniques in public school construction.  However, as it would be             
applied in this very limited way, it would actually delay the                  
construction of critically needed school facilities and contribute to          
higher costs.                                                                  
                                                                               
When the bill was introduced it was hoped by many that there would             
be a number of new school construction projects funded by the                  
legislature to meet the growing list of statewide prioritized projects by      
the Board of Education. A pilot project incorporating                          
design/build/maintenance concepts from the beginning could have                
merit.  However, in the end only six new school construction projects          
were funded by the legislature.                                                
                                                                               
Of these six projects only five are within REAAs and would come                
under the bills pilot program.  And of these five, four are already            
designed and will be bid ready in the coming months.  It will take the         
Department an additional 4-6 months to implement the RFP required              
by the bill.  The Department and the school districts all believe that         
this will delay the projects by a full construction season causing             
significant additional costs.                                                  
                                                                               
Furthermore, it is not at all clear that the designs already paid for          
through grants to the districts would be available to a successful bidder      
of the RFP due to proprietary interests by other contractors and               
entities.  If designs had to be redone, it would involve an additional 4-      
6 months and even further costs.                                               
                                                                               

2000-07-14                     House Journal                      Page 3898
HB 445                                                                       
The district for the school for which a design has not been completed          
ironically is planning to follow a design/build approach to expedite the       
project.  However, removing this project from district control and             
placing it under the state RFP process called for in this bill will negate     
any of these time savings.                                                     
                                                                               
For these reasons I have vetoed HB 445.                                        
                                                                               
							Sincerely,                                                              
							/s/                                                                     
							Tony Knowles                                                            
							Governor"