August 10, 2006

SJUSB immediately addresses construction complaints

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

When Deverre Lierman awoke to jackhammering at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, from a local school construction project, she contacted the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) with her grievance. Sympathizing with the situation, and taking the complaint as a call to action, SJUSD representatives lost no time responding.

The construction took place at Los Alamitos Elementary School. The district is remodeling the restrooms, upgrading the underground infrastructure, replacing water pipes and sidewalk and adding two portable classrooms.*

“The unbelievable noise woke everyone in the neighborhood,” said Lierman. When she and a neighbor visited the work site, they were told that the construction company, Albanase Construction, was under contract with the school and not responsible for the unfortunate timing.

“I would very much like for someone responsible for the incredibly poor decision to plan this construction on a weekend so early in the morning to respond to this community with an apology,” said Lierman, “and a commitment that this will not happen again. This project should have been conceived and approved in time to be conducted within normal business hours so as to be considerate of the many, many homes surrounding the school. There is simply no excuse for the school system to allow their poor project planning to interrupt the lives of the neighborhood families that surround and support the school year round.”

Upon hearing Lierman’s concerns, school board trustee Leslie Reynolds immediately contacted Lierman and went to speak with the foreman at the site. He agreed his crew should not have started so early, but noted that construction was not scheduled for Sunday, and that his goal was to be finished by the end of the week.

Even though the subcontractor took the blame for the situation, Reynolds apologized to Lierman on behalf of the district, because she felt it was ultimately their responsibility. “I hope you will accept my sincerest apology for this inconvenience,” she e-mailed Lierman. 

SJUSD School Construction Director Ty Williams also stepped up to the plate. “I would like to apologize for the construction noise which disturbed you this past Saturday,” he responded to Lierman. “I understand all too well the inconvenience... It is not a pleasant way to begin a day. I do understand where you are coming from on this issue and I sympathize completely with you. I understand your concern and believe that at the very least we should have communicated more effectively with the neighborhood about this project and the potential for noise and traffic disruptions.”

Williams also said that he would request that the contractor schedule the noisiest work to be done on weekdays whenever possible and no earlier than 9 a.m. on weekends.

“It is our hope to minimize any negative impact on the community,” he said. “Our performance is not always stellar, but it is not for a lack of caring or effort in trying. I will be looking into this concern to see how we might change our bidding documents to address the early morning weekend noise potential, and to insure better communication within the community, so that the first thing you hear about one of our projects is not a jackhammer.”

Lierman, impressed with their “prompt and considerate response,” soon replied. “You have both responded in a way that very much satisfies the neighbors I've spoken with,” she said, “from your empathetic disappointment that it happened, to the commitment that in the future we will work to avoid the loud early morning weekend work. The offer to look into your bidding documents and to communicate to the community in advance of large construction projects is also very much appreciated. We certainly know the school district does its best to maintain and improve the schools with minimal disruption to the surrounding community. Thank you again for your obvious concern and attention to the matter. Your commitment to the community shows.”

In fact, according to Lierman, Reynolds and Williams did everything they could have done. “They were very responsive,” she said.

Reynolds believes the subcontractors started early in their zeal to quickly finish the job. “It would have been wiser for them to have waited an hour or so before diving in with their jackhammers,” she said, “but, ultimately, the school district is responsible for scheduling and working with the subcontractors. We try to prevent these things from happening in the first place. I appreciate that the contractors are trying so hard to get things done for us, but at the same time, we really need to be good neighbors.”

*The SJUSD budget of $950,000 will be split fairly evenly between Los Alamitos and Williams Elementary Schools. The
total budget to be spent at Los Alamitos is about $3 to $4 million. The new portables—which Williams will also receive this year—are a response to a slight surge in kindergarten students, as well as an attempt to return students to their neighborhood schools. The pod schools, built in the 1970s to assist with team teaching, will be remodeled next year with walls separating the classrooms to assist with noise prevention. The athletic fields will also be redone throughout the district.