Horry County Schools facilities committee recommends hiring three project managers

Horry County Schools facilities committee might have a $300,000 solution to the recurring problem of new school project managers.

The district’s facilities committee wants to hire more district staff to lift the burden on current project managers, but the facilities director is still pressing for a project management firm. The managers will oversee construction of five new schools around the district.

In January, the facilities committee requested the district once again post job applications for more project managers. The first time the job was posted, only one applicant met the district’s needs. This second attempt – which was advertised in almost every local and state news outlet – yielded four candidates worthy of interviews, according to Mark Wolfe, director of facilities.

Three of them made the cut, Wolfe said.

“I was hoping we had more, but the selection committee thought that three could be enough,” Wolfe said.

The committee unanimously made a motion to hire those candidates – one who will oversee mostly site work – as project managers. The full Board of Education heard the committee’s proposal Monday night but will not vote on the motion until its April 18 meeting.

A project management firm would cost the district between $1.5 million and $3 million, Wolfe said. He’s been pushing to hire a firm – rather than more district staff – to oversee the projects for several months. The district’s facilities staff is already overburdened by current construction projects and does not have the ability to monitor the new schools being built, he added.

Holly Heniford, facilities committee and board member, has been against spending $3 million on oversight since last year.

“I don’t want to spend $3 million for this – it does not need to happen,” she said.

The cost to hire three temporary project managers is $300,000 a year, according to John Gardner, chief financial officer. Those employees will work full time for the district, but only for two years. Gardner suggested using unassigned money from the general fund instead of any contingency fund monies because the employment would be short term.

Wolfe said two of the three candidates mentioned hesitation at taking the job because of the salary and temporary position, but the district has limited power to change salary because of state law. Rick Maxey, superintendent, said that because the district is a public entity, it must place employees on a certain salary scale.

“We’re not able to do like private businesses and place employees on any salary that we chose,” he said.

Janet Graham, board member, asked if the employees could be hired as consultants rather than district employees so they wouldn’t require benefits. Wolfe said that’s what he first suggested to the facilities committee back in November.

“That’s the idea of the project management company,” Wolfe said. “They’re not an employee of the district, so we don’t have to pay benefits.”

Hiring part time employees wouldn’t work either, Wolfe said, because project management is a “full time, hands-on job.” Managers must track the construction schedule, pay applications, deliveries, cost and a barrage of other tasks, Wolfe said.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Horry County Schools facilities committee recommends hiring three project managers."