The March meeting of the Heartland AEA Board of Directors was held on March 9, 2010.
Public Forum
No one was present to speak at the public forum.
Board Recognition
Ms. Sharon Kurns spoke on behalf of Dr. Dennis Wulf, superintendent of the Norwalk Community Schools, who has been a great partner to the Agency and has contributed significantly to the professional development of leaders within the Heartland area. Dr. Wulf was unable to attend the meeting, but Ms. Kurns will share the Board’s sentiments for his work and effort in the area of leadership development.
Discussion Items
28E Agreement for DMACC Intercampus Mail Delivery
Mr. David King spoke briefly about the intercampus mail agreement between Heartland AEA and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). Heartland’s van delivery system will be expanded to include interoffice mail delivery between the buildings at DMACC. In return, DMACC will reimburse the Agency $40,000 annually for these services. This is a partnership that will work well for both entities.
Regional Education Centers
Mr. Steve Prall gave an overview of the Agency’s facility projects.
• Knoxville Regional Office -- A redesign of the current facility was completed since no other co-location opportunities were available in the Knoxville area. This new layout will increase efficiency and space utilization.
• Newton Regional Education Center -- Final negotiations are underway to lease space at the Iowa Telecom building (formerly Maytag) in Newton. Iowa Telecom recently contracted with R & R Realty to finalize the lease agreement and has recommended space on the first floor of the building instead of the second floor to accommodate evening and weekend access. This should not disturb the timeline by more than a few weeks.
• Woodside Regional Office -- The Woodside office will close at the end of its current lease, June 30, 2010. Staff will be relocated to the Johnston office at an annual cost savings of $150,000. Co-location opportunities are being explored at the Neveln Center in Ankeny for an inexpensive alternative for practitioners to meet and collaborate. The cost would only be approximately $5,000 a year.
• Johnston Regional Education Center -- The 6500 Planning Committee submitted recommendations that focused on service delivery and improvements to safety and health issues (HVAC, carpet, roof, server room and plumbing) at the 6500 building. The committee continues to work with the Agency’s architect on remodeling plans and specifications. It is anticipated that a final plan will be brought to the June Board of Directors meeting for approval and construction is slated for September-December 2010. The cost of all construction and remodeling projects is estimated between $1.5 and $1.8 million. Some of those funds will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Van Lease Contract
Mr. David King gave an update on the Agency’s 4-year van lease agreement. The lease agreement expired last year; however, renewal of the contract was postponed to give time to study distribution routes, the number of routes, if a different type of vehicle was needed and if the frequency of deliveries needed to be modified. For several months, these factors were reviewed, and as a result of the findings, a request for proposal (RFP) was sent to six different vendors. Ruan Truck Leasing submitted the lowest bid at a lease cost of $575 per month per vehicle with a maintenance cost of $.05 per mile. The contract is being modified so it aligns with the original specifications listed in the RFP before final approval is given.
Update on Agency Initiatives and Program Planning
Ms. Laura Gillon reviewed the process that Cabinet is using to move forward on the Agency’s four initiatives. A continuous model has been created that can be used every year to review past and current decisions. This model is also being used to make decisions around the Agency’s impending budget reductions. Currently Cabinet is between gathering input and making decisions as it deals with the financial crisis. Input has been sought from stakeholders who were asked what worries them the most when it comes to the budget reductions. Their input was prioritized into a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis that will be used to make decisions and develop an action plan. This process really helps honor stakeholders and keeps focus on the four initiatives.
Closed Session
The Board entered into closed session at 7:08 p.m. and returned to open session at 8:45 p.m. The Board then entered into closed session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss the 2010-2011 negotiations process and returned to open session at 9:35 p.m.
Action Items
Closed Session Recommendation – Negotiations
The Board approved the Memorandum of Understanding on transfer language.
28E Agreement for DMACC Interoffice Mail Delivery
The Board approved the 28E Agreement with DMACC to deliver its interoffice mail.
Van Lease Contract
The Board approved the van lease contract with Ruan Truck Leasing pending finalization of the contract documents.
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