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Middle School students learn about health care careers

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Bob Sypniewski: From GAR athlete “to watch” to Meyers' best bet?

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A big chunk of a meeting attended by about 40 people dissatisfied with the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board&#8217;s high school consolidation plan involved introductions of those present as they waited for the guest of honor. But when local businessman Bob Sypniewski did arrive and start to talk, he offered added details about his proposal to save the three high school system.</p><p>Investors and the builder they may hire to do any construction and renovation of district schools had looked at the estimates drawn up by the district&#8217;s design team, and considered them &#8220;pretty high,&#8221; Sypniewski said. But they raised enough money to cover the costs as estimated by the district anyway.</p><p>If the school board goes along with the proposal, there would be no changes in the final prices, usually handled through &#8220;change orders&#8221; that increase or decrease a contract price due to unexpected developments. &#8220;If we screw up,&#8221; Sypniewski said, &#8220;that&#8217;s on us. There will be no change orders.&#8221;</p><p>While he still wouldn&#8217;t name the people behind the proposal, Sypniewski said the investors &#8220;are scattered from Florida to Washington, D.C., to New Jersey,&#8221; which is one reason the plan isn&#8217;t yet finalized so a firm repayment schedule could be offered to the district. But the idea is to tailor the plan to what the school board could afford, he added, assuming repayments over 30 years.</p><p>When it was pointed out that school district Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak has repeatedly said the district cannot afford to run three high schools even if they are in good shape, Sypniewski said his group would provide some suggestions, including possibly moving administrative offices to the Meyers site, knocking down some parts of Meyers that would no longer be needed once renovated, and upgrading heating, water and electricity systems with high-tech monitors that could cut waste substantially.</p><p>The investors would not be responsible for maintenance after the work was done, he said.</p><p>Asked if local workers would be employed, Sypniewski said &#8220;We will do our best to make it local, but we need the best workers.&#8221;</p><p>While much emphasis has been put on Meyers, which the district&#8217;s current design team has determined too costly to repair, Sypniewski said Coughlin High School is also involved, with two options under consideration: Knock it down and replace it either on the site or elsewhere &#8212; possibly near the Solomon/Plains Elementary and Junior High complex, or knock down part of it and build what is needed onto the remaining structures.</p><p>Under the proposal, a &#8220;special purpose &#8221; company would be formed, money would be put into an account and disbursed to contractors and architects. While investors want the right to pick the companies and people working on the project, Sypniewski said they are open to considering alternate proposals from the school board.</p><p>Sypniewski said the builder involved in the proposal is big on &#8220;clean and green&#8221; construction, so the schools may incorporate things like solar panels if appropriate. He also said some discussion has occurred regarding the possibility of seeking historical building status for Meyers and the potential tax credits that could bring.</p><p>But, he added, the bottom line remains the same &#8220;We are willing to put the money in the front door, get them most qualified people to do the job, and get the heck out of there.&#8221;</p><p>The school board voted to close Meyers and Coughlin, building a new consolidated school at the Coughlin site. Both before Sypniewski arrived and after, those attending the gathering set up by Wilkes-Barre City Councilman George Brown voiced frustration with the process that led to that decision, more than with the decision itself.</p><p>Terry Schiowitz, who has helped form a group called Save Our Schools, circulated a petition that said the undersigned want to maintain &#8220;neighborhood Schools&#8221; and &#8220;request that the school Board explore other options.&#8221;</p><p>Brown said a big reason for the meeting, other than to give Sypniewski a chance to expand on his proposal, was to get several groups that had been developed in opposition to consolidation together so they would not duplicate efforts.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill Yeager, 1994 graduate of Meyers High School, speaks at Tuesday&#8217;s meeting at Rodano&#8217;s by groups fighting to save Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s three high schools. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_meyersgroups01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill Yeager, 1994 graduate of Meyers High School, speaks at Tuesday&#8217;s meeting at Rodano&#8217;s by groups fighting to save Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s three high schools. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_meyersgroups03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Terry Schiowitz of Save Our Schools speaks at Tuesday&#8217;s meeting at Rodano&#8217;s by groups fighting to save Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s three high schools. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_meyersgroups03.jpg</photo1><caption1>Terry Schiowitz of Save Our Schools speaks at Tuesday&#8217;s meeting at Rodano&#8217;s by groups fighting to save Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s three high schools. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Groups opposed to closing Meyers High School meet