Building schools takes experts, not managers
We were shocked by your editorial "Better way to build schools?" (March 15), which said, "Boards of education should hire experts to help [build schools]." One presumes from your editorial that the boards of education have not in the past engaged experts such as architects, engineers, planners, programmers and other educational facility specialists.
Construction management is no panacea. If you had checked, Baltimore County Public Schools hired a construction manager to assist with Towson High School renovations. The project spun out of control, and the construction manager was fired. This is but one of many instances where construction management has exacerbated problems during the construction process.
Baltimore County is returning to the real experts -- architects -- licensed and regulated, to manage its construction process. Even Howard County's record with construction management is not as pristine as you tout.
The problem in the past has been that boards of education have skimped and cut architects' fees, in attempts to save money. They have found that abbreviated services have been insufficient to administrate projects properly. The boards would then hire other experts -- construction managers -- to try to fix what they should have hired the architect to do in the first place.
The fee paid a construction manager often exceeds what is paid to an architect to design the school in the first place. With architects fully responsible, you would have better control, fewer changes, faster schedules and, more important, better design, greater life-cycle savings, more durable and maintainable buildings and fewer problems.
Your editorial also missed pointing out another great motivator for boards of education to use construction managers. The construction management process allows boards to circumvent Maryland and local procurement laws.
L. Franklyn Lucas, Baltimore
The writer is president of the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Public needs full airing of electric deregulation
Why is industry rushing a bill through the General Assembly to deregulate the electric utilities? It's a stealth attack.
The complete lack of public debate on this issue means that your average Marylander knows nothing of the billion-dollar Baltimore Gas and Electric bailout that each person with electrical service will pay a piece of once this bill passes.
And what about the environmental costs? The market pressure toward cheap power will certainly mean dirty old coal plants will get cranked up to full capacity, fouling our air and the bay. We require all Maryland cars to be inspected for emissions, yet we will allow more air pollution from power plants in the name of competition.
This issue is so complex and full of possible outcomes that there must be a full public debate on this issue (and paid advertisements from BGE aren't enough). I hope The Sun gets this story off the business pages and onto the front page because this big issue is going to affect every one of us, from our wallets to the air we breathe.
Karen DeCamp, Baltimore
Mfume should declare; Conaway merits attention
Garland Thompson's Opinion Commentary article ("Shadow mayoral race," March 25) is right on target. Kweisi Mfume really needs to declare his mayoral candidacy or shut up about it.
It is time for Mr. Mfume to state clearly where he stands on the issues concerning our city. Those pushing his candidacy ought to be ashamed of themselves for the way they are scuttling democracy in an effort to change the residency requirement to make Mr. Mfume's candidacy possible.
Unfortunately, Mr. Thompson's column neglected to mention Register of Wills Mary W. Conaway, who is also running for mayor. She is just as intelligent and articulate as Carl Stokes, whose campaign is hardly more than a rumor. Conaway has been a tremendous register of wills; the State Comptroller's Office has consistently rated her office as among the best run in Maryland
Baltimore needs the great managerial experience that Ms. Conaway has. The Sun ought to stop overlooking her campaign.
Aaron Keith Wilkes, Lutherville
Sarbanes produces results, not publicity
Your story on Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes left readers with the terribly mistaken impression that Senator Sarbanes is a passive, unremarkable officeholder. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
As anyone who has worked with him knows, Senator Sarbanes is a thoughtful and well-respected leader, whose advice on policy and legislative strategy is much sought after and valued by his colleagues. He is known in the Senate as a master of every subject in which he holds a leadership role, as a passionate advocate for the working people of Maryland, and as a true gentleman.
Marylanders should be proud of Senator Sarbanes. He does not seek the limelight, but he has a proven record for producing results for our state and our nation.
Gloria Cataneo Tosi, Lutherville
Glendening is making childish demands
I can't believe Gov. Parris N. Glendening is acting so childish as to hold the General Assembly's feet to the fire to force them to pass his ridiculous increase in the tax on cigarettes and other pet projects. He is like the little boy who demands that they play ball his way or he will take his ball and go home.
H. Robert Wagner, Baltimore
Hopkins lucky to have Balto., not the reverse
As a newcomer to Baltimore, I have discovered an interesting contradiction in this city. I have found the people of Baltimore to be among the most friendly of any city I have lived in. At the same time, many Baltimoreans consider the presence of the Johns Hopkins University here to be a point of pride, almost as if Baltimore is lucky to have such a school within its city limits.
My experience with the people of Baltimore and as a student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health suggests that the people of Baltimore might be more fortunate if the university were somewhere else.
I left a faculty position in a medical school in another state to attend the Hopkins School of Public Health. It was a difficult decision to give up my job and leave friends and colleagues behind to move to Baltimore, but Hopkins' reputation and promises of a great education won out, and I moved here to gain a degree in public health.
What I have experienced at the Hopkins School of Public Health has been far from rewarding. Granted, some courses have been excellent, but far too many have had more than 150 students, have been poorly taught and provide little or no individual attention.
In addition, when I have sought guidance or help from faculty or administrators, I have found them too busy for an appointment or to respond to my concerns. Given that tuition at the Hopkins exceeds $20,000 a year, this inability to meet with faculty or administrators is particularly frustrating and, unlike what I have found throughout the rest of Baltimore, very unfriendly.
The point here is that academic institutions with high profiles and prestigious names such as Hopkins may represent an industry that fails to live up to its promises and fails to fulfill its educational mission. While the Hopkins School of Public Health may have a tremendous reputation as a research institution, its reputation as an educational institution does not appear to be good among many of us who sacrificed a great deal to come here.
I have been struck by the tendency of this city to celebrate the common, hard-working person. The elitism of Hopkins, on the other hand, disregards the concerns and value of the individual person the way many large corporations do. I suggest that the Hopkins does not deserve the Baltimore, and I encourage the people of Baltimore to look to themselves, not Hopkins, for a reason to feel proud.
Dr. Daniel Holland, Baltimore
The writer is a clinical neuropsychologist and a former graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
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Pub Date: 3/29/99