Projects Stall at Lodi High School (CA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2005/0 ... 050326.txt

Volunteers left baffled after athletic projects at Lodi High are stalled, stymied

By Scott Howell
News-Sentinel Sports Editor
Last updated: Friday, Mar 25, 2005 - 10:47:17 pm PST

A new stereo sits silent, a new television and video system go unwatched and new lockers sit empty in a team room at Lodi High School.

An adjacent training room is being used for storage -- including a messy training table -- instead of being used for taping ankles or treating injuries.






The rooms -- the targets of more than $10,000 worth of renovations two years ago -- have gone mostly unused.

A $6,000 scoreboard sits idle in a Lodi Unified School District storage building while time passes -- nearly two years since it was donated to Lodi High.

And a former pole vault shed at the high school -- a generous donation from a local club -- now sits in storage itself at the White Slough water treatment plant.

The work on the training room led to allegations that former Lodi High athletic director Andy Wolfe embezzled money. The Lodi Police Department conducted an investigation and recently forwarded the case to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, which is weighing a misdemeanor charge against Wolfe.

But several other athletic projects at the high school have been halted or delayed by the district in recent years, baffling those who have invested time and money for the betterment of the program and the benefit of the kids.

Why have so many dollars and volunteer efforts repeatedly gone awry?

All agree that standards are needed to ensure the safety of the students. But some believe the school has been the target of more stringent enforcement since the passage of the $109 million school bond in 2002. And while district officials admit that an unauthorized project could potentially jeopardize bond and matching state funds, they maintain that district guidelines have always been clear.


The Lodi Flames Athletics Icee vending machine is locked up during school vacation Tuesday afternoon. Another Icee shack was taken out because it did not go through the proper channels to exist. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

"We went out and mustered money and had momentum going," said local businessman Dave Vaccarezza, who donated money for the soccer scoreboard. "It was very disappointing. We ran into bureaucracy that was necessary to some degree, but doesn't serve the kids and parents in a timely fashion. My kid was a sophomore when the scoreboard was purchased and now he's a senior."

Projects begun, then stalled

"It's frustrating for us," said Mamie Starr, LUSD's assistant superintendent of facilities and planning.

Starr said that some delays are inevitable, and that despite the good intentions of volunteers, it's the district's responsibility to see that proper guidelines are followed on every project.

She added: "You don't go out and create your own curriculum. You don't create your own schedule. And you can't create your own facility."

When the guidelines aren't followed, the projects aren't completed.

Some examples include:

• In the spring of 2003, coaches, players and parents spent several weekends renovating a team room and a training room. Some of the work included tearing down walls and removing old lockers.

The Lodi High basketball and football clubs spent more than $10,000 on the renovation, including the purchase of new lockers, a mounted television, and stereo and video systems. A local construction firm also dug a new water line at a cost of $3,376 so that an ice machine could be moved from the team room to the training room.

But before the renovation could be completed, district officials halted the project because no one had authorized the work. The training room was locked for several months. Numerous sources told the News-Sentinel that Wolfe had implied that the district had OK'd the project. When reached by phone, Wolfe declined to comment.


What would have been a pole vault shed at Lodi High School now sits in storage itself at the White Slough water treatment plant in pieces Thursday morning. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Wolfe reportedly told others that he believed the work would be adequate enough to get the district's approval.

Former Lodi High varsity boys basketball coach Dave Taylor said that on several occasions Wolfe referred to once having a contractor's license. An Andrew P. Wolfe, Jr., was licensed under the business name Wolfe Construction and Development with a Woodbridge address, according to the California Contractors State License Board Web site. The license is currently listed as inactive.

Several coaches said that Wolfe tried to create a parent-involved committee in regards to following guidelines. However, Starr acknowledged that a Capital Outlay request form, which is mandatory for any change at a district site, was not completed for the project.

According to Mike Matranga, LUSD director of maintenance, the district completed the training room at a cost of $3,942. The new water line was paved over and the ice machine returned to the team room.

While work on the rooms has long quieted, a check written by Wolfe from an Amateur Athletic Union account to Christy Construction of Lodi in August of 2003 has sparked a contentious, high-profile case.

When Christy Construction billed Wolfe $3,376 for work on the water line, Wolfe allegedly submitted the bill to the district.

District officials refused to pay it.

"I know we didn't pay it because we didn't authorize the work," LUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett said.

Wolfe used funds from an AAU basketball program not associated with the high school to pay the bill.

Wolfe was allegedly the only person authorized to write checks out of the account, which is funded by AAU fees and donations. Taylor, who directed the program, has said repeatedly that he disapproved of Wolfe using the funds.


The boys team room at Lodi High School is under construction. (Amy Weddell/News-Sentinel)

Claiming the AAU money was misappropriated, parents approached the district and then the police department to investigate.

Wolfe currently faces one misdemeanor count of embezzlement. The DA recently announced that it is seeking the opinion of the state Attorney General's Office in the case.

Some parents say the district told Wolfe he was personally responsible for the bill. But the district can't force an employee to pay an outside entity, said Len Casanega, LUSD assistant superintendent of personnel.

Taylor and assistant basketball coach Mahlon Lott, both involved with the renovation, said that while Wolfe made mistakes, they believe he had the best interests of the program in mind.

"I believe Andy's heart was in the right place," Lott said.

• In February of 2003, the Lodi Lion's Club donated $7,500 to the Lodi High track program for a pole vault shed and runways. Plans for a portable shed with rollers were approved by the district.

But parents convinced then-coach Wes Stolp to build the approximately 1,000-square-foot shed as a permanent structure and a foundation was poured for the shed, according to current coach Greg Wright. A permanent structure would have required approval by the Division of the State Architect, which was not obtained.

Stolp did not return several phone calls.

Wright said he later had his brother-in-law in Oregon, a structural engineer, draw up blue prints and give the plans a stamp of approval. The plans were denied because they must be stamped in California.

The district ordered the shed taken down that August. According to Wright it was sold to the City of Lodi for the original price of $4,600. Lodi Public Works Director Richard Prima confirmed the purchase and said that the shed is currently in storage.

Wright said the only money lost in the project was about $1,000 when the shed foundation was ripped out.

"It was a mishap on my part. I didn't understand the process and it was one failed effort after another," Wright said. "It was disheartening. The Lion's Club gave us money and entrusted it to us, and we had to take it (the shed) down. I feel the responsibility stops with me."

He added that the entire donation from the Lion's Club was returned to the school's athletic account. It was later combined with money from fundraising to purchase an $11,652 portable shed that was approved by the district. It is expected to arrive any day now.

"We were disappointed it took this long, but happy to hear they jumped through hoops to get it going," said Lion's Club member Jim Sturman, who was the club president when the money was donated. "It's a real worthy project. We would like to think the money wasn't wasted."

• In the summer of 2003, several parents donated money for a new scoreboard at the soccer field, and Vaccarezza says that a local contractor was willing to erect it.

Starr said that the scoreboard was delivered to the district maintenance yard before anyone in the district knew about the project. It, too, needed approval from the state architect.

The scoreboard, which is still in storage, has since been approved and was scheduled to be erected before the start of the girls soccer season, which began a few weeks ago.

Starr said that the scoreboard is on maintenance and operation's docket and will be erected as soon as possible.

Lodi High Principal Bill Atterberry said the district was committed to the project from the start.

"There was a full-court press by the district to get it going," said Atterberry, who added that the project was delayed while awaiting approval from the state architect.

Records at the state architect's office show that the request was received Jan. 31 of this year and stamped and sent back March 10, according to Matt Bender, spokesman for the state's General Services Department.

Starr acknowledged that there was a hold-up on the district's end while it updated plans for the campus. The originally planned location for the scoreboard was changed to accommodate portables that need to be relocated.

Starr said the district wanted to avoid a scenario in which the scoreboard would be erected only to be taken down at a later time.

Some are left perplexed that so much time could have ticked away on a volunteered scoreboard.

"A scoreboard taking a year or two to put up? It's ridiculous," said Lodi High boys soccer coach Don Rostomily.

• In April of last year, numerous parents donated their time in making more than $7,000 worth of improvements to the freshman baseball field, including installing a temporary outfield fence, painting the backstop and hauling in new dirt for the infield.

Coaches and parents wanted to put in a new automated sprinkler system, according to assistant frosh-soph baseball coach Dale Fischer.

He said that volunteers offered to raise the funds for the project but the district wouldn't give its approval.

Starr said that the campus is due for a complete sprinkler overhaul, and added that the old system, including any new work at the baseball field, would be replaced.

Fischer did acknowledge that the district has played a large role in the field's renovation, including spending $8,000 toward a new backstop. The athletic department chipped in another $3,000, and the remaining $2,000 will come from fundraising or donations.

• The basketball program built an Icee shack in 2003 that also lacked the needed approvals and was ultimately torn down.

Atterberry says that he gave approval for a prefabricated shed and the necessary plumbing and electrical work.

But Lott said he was given authorization for a permanent shed by a district employee, although plans were never drawn up or submitted. Lott doesn't recall exactly who he spoke to.

A permanent structure would have required approval from the state architect, which wasn't obtained.

Lott said that Wolfe specified to him how to erect the permanent structure, which cost $500 and took several weekends to complete.

Soon after completing work on the permanent shed, a district employee returned and said the structure wasn't adequate, according to Lott. The permanent shed was torn down.

Lott insists he was given approval to build a permanent shed.

"The state architect was never discussed. I think it was an oversight on their (the district's) part," he said. "It was poorly handled. We communicated with them. It was poorly understood and (poorly) communicated back with us."

The district has since purchased a prefabricated Icee shed (using money from the general athletic account) which is operated in the Lodi High courtyard. Proceeds benefit the athletic department.

Following the guidelines

The trail to a completed project is often snared with red tape.

Starr says the Field Act, a state law established in the 1930s that led to the creation of the state architect, is the guiding piece on school building codes. The legislation is aimed at protecting anyone who enters a state school site -- and protecting against liability.

Plans for most new structures (anything taller than 48 inches) as well as renovations exceeding $100,000 must be prepared by an architect or structural engineer licensed in the state and must be certified by the state architect.

The state architect reviews about 3,000 sets of plans a year, according to Bender.

A project that must be approved by the state architect can take up to a year.

A Capital Outlay request is required for any alterations at a district site.

At any given time, the district, with around 40 school sites, may have 100 to 150 requests, Starr said. She added that the district doesn't encourage the requests because maintenance staff already has a heavy workload.

Despite the addition of new schools in recent years increasing the volume of work, the maintenance department hasn't added resources, Starr said.

A request should start with the site principal, and usually ends with Starr or maintenance and operations.

Atterberry shouldered the blame for the rash of unauthorized projects at the school, saying that he should have been more aware of what was unfolding at the campus.

"I felt responsible. I didn't anticipate problems. The buck stops at the principal's door, absolutely. I should have been more responsible.

"I don't blame anybody. Ignorance was the problem. A lot of people were doing good things in their mind, but when there are so many things to know, mistakes will be made."

An issue of equity?

Some argue that the projects would have sufficed in past years and that the district, concerned about bond funds and renovations potentially being delayed, is unfairly cracking down on Lodi High while letting other district schools push projects through.

Starr denied the accusations, saying the district is simply enforcing the guidelines as it always has.

She did acknowledge that the district "wanted to hold off on some stuff while it was receiving modernization funds."

Lodi High is due for a complete electrical overhaul this summer and construction of a new gym and cafeteria and a complete renovation of the science wing is slated to get underway in the next year or two.

Atterberry said that with state officials coming around, the district could have been subject to fines and renovation delays if projects at the school weren't in compliance with state code.

"It wasn't like a hit squad, but obviously in a renovation there's more people around campus," Atterberry said. "It all corresponds with what was going on."

Starr conceded that the district can't confirm that every school has followed the proper process on every project, but added that the district will bring any unauthorized projects into compliance.

"In the past, projects have been built without district approval, and it has to be dealt with," Matranga said.

Tough lessons

When former Tokay AD Ken Israel took over the post a decade ago, the department needed numerous renovations, he said.

"When I talked to someone in maintenance about upgrades, said Israel, "they laughed and told me it would take 15 years."

Rostomily and Wright expressed concerns about losing momentum on projects due to long waits.

Kids graduate. Parents lose interest. Projects die.

"There have been a lot of hard feelings," Wright said. "It's frustrating. People are trying to do things for the school."

Starr said that she doesn't know why so many projects at Lodi High were halted or delayed in such a short time period, but added that the school is old and has lots of needs.

Added Matranga: "If you want to erect something, get in line, it could take a very long time."

What's transpired in recent years has been a learning process for everyone involved.

"If we could do it again, we'd do it differently," Lott said in regards to the Icee shack and team room. "We would have plans and make sure we follow them."

Starr said that administrators are reminded on a yearly basis that there is a process to follow.

Atterberry is making it a priority to pass that information along and ensure such episodes don't reoccur in the future at Lodi High. He said policies are being made public and that he has constant communication with those overseeing projects.

He added that absolutely no project gets through without a Capital Outlay request and his approval.

"When I took on the job, Bill and I sat down and expectations were laid out," said first-year Lodi AD Gary Knackstedt. "We're going to do everything by the book. Anything dealing with facilities, make sure Mr. Atterberry knows."

Vaccarezza said that botched projects and a maze of bureaucracy could erode community support at Lodi High School.

"It impacts volunteerism," he said. "If you're willing to work and no one gives you a shovel, it's pretty hard to accomplish anything."

[Beam]

To all of you who don't know Greg Wright. . . what a wonderful person. I jumped against Bear Creek High School when I was younger and he (Greg Wright) loaned me a series of spirit poles that enabled me to gain the opportunities that awaited me in the pole vault. I broke the JV school record (12'9") on one of his poles and he gave me a 15' pole series to use my senior year. I then broke the Varsity School record (14'9) with one of his poles. My senior year I used the series to win most of my meets, and finally broke the school record again on a Sonora High School (Tye Harvey's school) 15' 160 to jump 15'3". I know it's not that high, but the vault community really made sure that I would be successful. I never had a true vault coach and people like Greg Wright and Adam Straton gave me the tools I needed to be where I am today. So, Thank you two! Beam

[bvpv07]

I second that. Greg is a great guy and an awesome coach!
He sometimes comes up and brings his girls to practice at my school during the off season.