About three years ago a potential client (a small public school) called. This is a former client of ours for whom we remodeled a school media center about three years before. The new superintendent stated that they needed a new administration building, a new parking lot, and some remodel and that they needed to get started with construction as soon as possible. Money was in hand! I hurried over and within a month had a design in place to do these things. I had submitted a contract and he said that he was waiting for the Board to sign it. One Friday he calls and says that they are having a school board meeting prior to the Friday night football game and could I come? I reluctantly give up the night and head to the meeting. At the meeting I find that #1 The money was not there. and #2 The Board did not know about this and was not sold on the idea! OOPS!
I leave thinking this is a crazy group of people. During the meeting, as I listened, I was convinced that these people superintendent and board had no common sense much less the skills to make the decisions.
Another year passes and I have washed my hands of this client. The superintendent calls and apologizes for the past events. He says he understands if i don't want to work with him, but he is impressed with our firm and asked for time to do a small remodel project for him. He said what I wanted to hear so once again I travel to meet with him. The job is a re-roof of the school gym. i call my school construction manager friend to get involved and we get the project ready to bid.
About two days before the project is to start, a front page story is in the local paper stating that the FBI has gone to the school and confiscated the administration computers! The School does not return calls. NO project! Note to Self: Never work with this client!
Two weeks ago a grant writer calls me. He works for about 60 schools in eastern Oklahoma and he has a client that is one of only FOUR schools in Oklahoma that qualifies for an "Emergency Construction Grant" form the Feds. They qualify for a new elementary school! Great! Guess who? Yes, that school. We meet with the grant writer. We provide information for the grant. This time of course i have someone that I can trust. Right?
Yesterday, I pick up an area newspaper and there on the front page is a story that states that a certain school superintendent and a certain school board has filed suit against each other. the board is trying to fire the super. He has 2 years on his contract. The Board has not handled the issue lawfully and at the least they hate each other's guts. H-m-m-m. Wonder if I have a project?
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