The Guam Department of Education estimates it will cost about $353,000 to address facility deficiencies at Tiyan High School, while roof repairs could take until December to complete, Superintendent Judith Won Pat said.
Tiyan High School campus which co-locates Tiyan High and Simon Sanchez High School was closed three days into the new school year, Won Pat acknowledged that because she is the superintendent of the department "ultimately" she is to blame.
The campus closure was tied to deficiencies including raw sewage odor, brown water, nonfunctioning exhaust and bathroom fixtures. Officials said the deficiencies were identified in the portion of the campus occupied by Simon Sanchez High School. However, because inspectors evaluated the campus as a single facility rather than as two separate schools, both Tiyan High School and Simon Sanchez High School were ordered closed.
GDOE is currently in the process of addressing those deficiencies with Core Tech International who mobilized more than 100 construction workers to work on the campus. Though during this process, education officials contended that they've just learned that Core Tech no longer owns the campus.
During the hearing, Core Tech Chairman Ho Eun said Core Tech no longer owns the Tiyan campus. Instead, he said the property is owned by Phoenix IDA, an Arizona-based financing entity, through bonds issued for AZGFF-Tiyan LLC, with Guam Facilities Foundation serving as the local agent.
He said Core Tech is contracted by Phoenix IDA to handle the maintenance and janitorial services at Tiyan.
Eun maintained that Core Tech never received a formal written notice GDOE that Simon Sanchez students would be relocating to Tiyan and speculated on possible motives.
"I really don't understand why GDOE did not inform. My speculation. ... Maybe GDOE was so worried that Core Tech will charge additional maintenance cost because they are currently paying for John F. Kennedy's school. I think, because of that potential financial burden, maybe this is my personal speculation again. They decided or they wanted to avoid that conversation," Eun said.
He contended, "If my understanding or my speculation is correct, we should communicate. If we have communication (sic) ... I am almost certain that we could have potentially avoid this situation."
Though GDOE was adamant that they have maintained communication with the Core Tech designated point of contact.
Won Pat said the government pays about $9 million annually under the leaseback arrangement covering the Tiyan campus, GDOE headquarters, warehouses and a gymnasium. Eun clarified that about $1 million of that is tied specifically to the Tiyan high school campus, split between insurance and a maintenance budget of roughly $40,000 a month.
Senators asked Eun directly if the campus was being maintained Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane highlighting that characterizations made by GDOE earlier indicated "layers of dirt" on the roof across the whole campus was water blasted and that removal of dirt revealed roof leaks throughout the facilities.
"First of all, GDOE, the Government of Guam is not a tenant. In fact, it's a lease to own. So, Government of Guam is not paying rent. It's actually a mortgage payment. ... Core Tech's responsibility is to do janitorial service by contracting somebody. Another portion, we provide insurance," Eun said. "Core Tech's portion, that we are responsible is managing the janitorial company and we ... maintain the basic structure. So logically and legally the roof leaks belong to AZGFF."
Despite this, Eun committed to a full roof replacement noting it would take one month to complete with weather permitting.
When asked about when the campus could reopen Eun said, the ground floor could potentially reopen sooner if GDOE works with DPHSS on clarifications to the inspection requirements.
Education officials confirmed working with DPHSS on the clarifications needed and noted the department is hoping to receive variances on issues like window screens and exhaust capacity to reduce demerits received to provide additional time to address.
While officials were adamant that they are working tirelessly to remedy the deficiencies, none were sure who will actually foot the bill.
"To be honest, I don't know. But I'll get the job done and we will ask the attorneys to figure out. Is it really belonged to our responsibility or AZGFF or government of Guam or GDOE. It doesn't matter we'll get the job done first," Eun said.
Eun estimated it costs $5 per square foot for the 50,000 to 80,000 square foot project. Based on Eun's estimate, roof repairs could cost as much as $400,000.
Earlier Won Pat contended that the roof leaks were determined to be a structural issue and "that would be the responsibility of Core Tech and not us."