Representatives of the Duluth school district and Johnson Controls of Duluth said today that the amount of money the company will be eligible to receive for its role in the proposed $257 million school plan was greatly overstated during a public panel discussion the day before.
For their work in assessing the district's needs and overseeing a public discussion process, Johnson Controls is guaranteed a lump sum of $250,000. The multinational company also will receive 2 percent of the project's construction costs -- about $4.5 million -- for managing the remodeling and new construction of 15 school buildings, according to its contract with the district.
Johnson Controls was hired from the start to draw up and implement a long-range facilities plan.
The confusion and clarifications come right before a final vote by School Board members Tuesday evening on the "red plan," which will close Central High School and several other schools.
A panelist overestimated Johnson Controls' take by almost $29 million, and a few board members had questioned whether it is a conflict of interest for the same company that determined how much the total project will cost to get a percentage fee based on that cost.
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But Johnson Controls officials said this is a fair price for six-plus years of work and just another effort by critics to delay action on the controversial plan.
"There's nothing hidden here; the district asked for someone to take over this process from beginning to end," said Jeff Schiltz, Johnson Controls representative in Duluth.
