OSFC Prevailing Wage, Labor Agreements Under Review
The Ohio School Facilities Commission appears poised to reverse Strickland era policies that allowed local school districts to adopt more union-friendly requirements for school construction projects.
OSFC, which is now controlled by appointees of Republican Gov. John Kasich, met in executive session for nearly an hour Tuesday to discuss matters of pending legislation and the appointment of a new executive director.
After the special meeting, Office of Budget and Management Director Tim Keen, who chairs the commission, said during an interview that the selection of a new school construction chief was “forthcoming.”
Interim Executive Director Eric Bode, who has long served as the commission’s chief fiscal officer, said he was not tapped for the permanent position.
Mr. Keen said members also had a “general discussion” about various legal cases involving the commission, including some that are timely in nature.
Director Keen said the commission was reviewing the Strickland administration’s policies on prevailing wage and project labor agreements (PLAs) at OSFC.
“It is quite possible that there will be some resolutions to address those matters in the near future,” he said.
OSFC has a regular meeting set for Thursday.
Early in the Strickland administration, OSFC scrapped the previous policy, which simply required school districts accept the lowest responsible bidder. The administration said allowing school districts to include prevailing wage and PLAs ensures more local control and higher quality workmanship.
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law is one group that has filed lawsuits challenging OSFC policies on prevailing wage, according to Executive Director Maurice Thompson, who attended the hearing.
He said the policy contradicts statute that prohibits OSFC from paying union-scale wages for school construction projects, and thereby violates the constitutional separation of powers. “That’s the executive branch changing the law from what the legislature made or departing from it in a dramatic way,” he said.
The group also filed a separate corrupt activities case alleging that former OSFC Executive Director Richard Murray improperly coerced school districts to include prevailing wage or PLAs in their construction contracts. Last year Mr. Murray was the subject of an Inspector General report that questioned his role in promoting labor-friendly agreements.
Mr. Thompson said unions often fund school levy campaigns if local district officials agreed to include prevailing wage or PLAs, effectively excluding non-union contractors from bidding.
The 1851 Center has communicated to OSFC’s legal counsel that it was willing to drop the litigation if the commission repeals the prevailing wage policy, he said. Further, it wants the Kasich administration to review pending contracts that include prevailing wage requirements or PLAs and refuse to fund any that were improperly executed.
“We think that they would have to agree with our position and we will be able to resolve this. But if we’re not, we’ll win the case the old fashioned way,” he said.
Fingerhut to Resign as Board of Regents Chancellor
Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut announced Tuesday morning that he intends to resign, effective March 13 — the end of his “fourth full year” in the position. In his letter to Gov. John Kasich, he notes, “Higher education is in Ohio’s DNA.”
“[W]e have been in the business of higher education as long as we have been a state.”
Fingerhut also said that he has worked to “focus our extraordinary higher education infrastructure on helping Ohioans meet the challenges and opportunities of today’s global, knowledge-based economy [and] we are making real, measurable progress … in graduating more students, keeping them in Ohio after graduation, and attracting talent to our state.”
Kasich released the following statement in response:
“Chancellor Fingerhut has served Ohio with dedication and commitment and I applaud his work to improve our colleges and universities. I look forward to building upon the important reforms started under his leadership and wish him and his family well.”
Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, also released a statement thanking Fingerhut for his efforts and wishing him well.
“Eric Fingerhut’s tenure as Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents will be remembered for a number of achievements that serve well the interests of Ohio citizens and the state’s public colleges and universities.
“Mostly notably, Chancellor Fingerhut is to be commended for bringing clarity to communications about the substantial return on investment in higher education, for developing a 10-year strategic plan that strengthened focus and accountability for the state’s system of public colleges and universities, and for leading Ohio’s transition to a performance-based funding mechanism for our institutions of higher learning,” Johnson said.
This opens the way for Kasich to install his own person in the chancellorship — something that was not a given since the position currently comes with a five-year term. Rumored to be at the top of Kasich’s list of possibilities is former Ohio auditor and attorney general Jim Petro.
Fingerhut was appointed the seventh chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents on March 14, 2007. A year later he delivered Ohio’s 10-yearStrategic Plan for Higher Education to the governor and Ohio General Assembly, with an overall goal to raise the educational attainment of the state of Ohio.
Since its release, he has worked closely with the administration, the Ohio General Assembly, businesses, colleges and universities, and other state agencies “implementing strategies to make higher education more efficient, while expanding low-cost pathways and educational opportunities to students and reframing the relationship between business and higher education” — all, he noted in the release, “to create jobs and build a globally competitive workforce to put Ohio on the path to economic prosperity.”
As Fingerhut said in his letter, “Our challenge these past four years has not been to build new institutions, though we have built facilities and altered institutional mandates where needed. Rather, our challenge has been to focus our extraordinary higher education infrastructure on helping Ohioans meet the challenges and opportunities of today’s global, knowledge-based economy.”
He went on to reference his work with the Third Frontier program — a program which undoubtedly will be closely evaluated by Kasich’s new director of the Ohio Department of Development and JobsOhio czar, Mark Kvamme.
Other efforts during his tenure have been around “centers of excellence” and expansion of shared services for the state’s higher education institutions.
Evans, Hickman Top List for OSFC Executive Director
Former state representative and veteran educator Clyde Evans heads a short list of candidates for the next Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) executive director, the Office of Budget and Management disclosed Tuesday, though the onetime legislative member of OSFC could face stiff competition from former OSFC Executive Director Richard Hickman Jr. and several professional engineers.
OSFC convened for a special meeting Tuesday, in addition to the regular monthly meeting scheduled for Thursday, and went immediately into executive session. The commission then regrouped in public session long enough to adjourn until later this week.
After the meeting, state Budget Director Tim Keen, one of three voting members of the commission that also includes Department of Administrative Services Director Robert Blair and state Superintendent Deborah Delisle, would say little about executive deliberations but said an announcement is forthcoming on the directorship, which OSFC Chief Financial Officer Eric Bode has filled on an interim basis since January.
“There will likely be a resolution to address that Tuesday,” Keen said, indicating the commission has been reviewing several candidates.
Resumes include Evans’ and four others’: Hickman, of Westerville, who led the commission during former Gov. Bob Taft’s final two years in office; Dale Perram of Wadsworth, an electrical engineer and chairman of Perram Electric, Inc., a highway contracting firm; Fredrick Ahlborn of Marysville, a construction professional and former project administrator with OSFC following 26 years as a construction manager for the Ohio Department of Youth Services; and Mitch McCoy of Medina, a civil engineer recommended by Capitol Square attorney Luther Liggett Jr.
Evans’ own resume includes eight years in the House, including seven years on OSFC, and 30 years in administration at the University of Rio Grande, where he left as provost in 2002. The Rio Grande resident has also taught in public schools and served as a principal, school counselor and basketball/baseball coach.
Apparently, one of the five candidates will be named the commission’s next executive director on Thursday.
Also Tuesday, Keen said OSFC will be reviewing the issue of project labor agreements that hobbled the administration of former commission director Richard Murray.
“There should be some resolution to address these matters in the near future,” he said.
House Committee Approves Estate Tax Repeal
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On a 9-8 vote, the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday night reported out HB3 (Grossman-Hottinger), legislation to repeal the estate tax beginning Jan. 1, 2013 — to get through this current biennium Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster), chair of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, said that although he supports the repeal he would pass on voting for the legislation until it is done in a fiscally responsible manner to address current budget issues with regards to local government concerns that were brought up in committee. “Given my view that the bill is to repeal a tax that is about outright theft,” Amstutz said. He said local governments first need to be considered in the state budget plan before he will vote to repeal the estate tax. The Ohio Municipal League, Ohio Township Association and several mayors from cities across Ohio said without the estate tax or another form of “replacement funding,” local governments would not have the necessary funds to maintain infrastructure and leverage federal and state dollars that they have relied upon for more than 25 years. Susan Cave, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League said in her testimony that the league has never been for or against the estate tax as a state levy. Nor do they argue whether it is a good or bad tax. Cave and Heidi Fought, director of governmental affairs for the Ohio Township Association said any changes to the state tax policy must be done with full consideration of the impact to all local governments and as a precedent in Ohio there has been replacement revenue for local governments when local revenues are eliminated by state action. Cave gave the example of the property tax roll back, homestead exemption and tangible personal property tax repeals. Additionally Fought said it is increasingly more difficult to pass property tax increases. “We ask that as this issue works its way through the Legislature there will be a willingness to explore options other than flat out repeal of the state’s estate tax. Perhaps phasing the repeal with some type of revenue replacement, or change to the exemption amounts or percentages, or providing a local option; and I am sure there are others,” Cave said. Supporters of HB3, including the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the Ohio Christian Alliance, said repeal of the estate tax would benefit family farms and small businesses in the state, would help preserve a family business and income to families already feeling a loss. Greater Ohio weighed in as an interested party on the bill to illustrate some facts and perspectives on the impact to local governments trying to grow jobs through cutbacks in safety, planning, economic development and infrastructure. “Estate taxes can precipitate the sale and further consolidation of farmland from family structured holding to larger corporate entities, sold off to developers or broken up into five acre lots,” said Gene Krebs, senior director of government affairs and policy. “Following the death, the estate tax can lead to a ‘fire sale’ of road frontage and woodlots as the heirs scramble to pay taxes. Since farmland preservation is one of the tenets of smart growth Greater Ohio is following this issue closely.” Krebs suggested instead to reduce the estate tax take by half for local governments, put one fourth into a revolving loan fund for economic development projects that are locally determined and the terms of the loan set locally in a regional frame, and have the remaining fourth placed into a mutual fund pool where the locals determine the formula for aiding communities who are lower wealth, and once again in a regional frame. Phase it out over eight years. Before taking a vote on the legislation, Reps. Tom Letson (D-Warren) and Mike Foley (D-Cleveland) introduced amendments that would accommodate the exemption of family farms from estate tax and would strengthen the estate tax by adding a millionaire’s bracket going forward from 2011, respectively. Both amendments were rejected along party lines – 12-5. Earlier in the day, supporters of repealing the estate tax rallied with the bill’s sponsors on the Statehouse lawn Wednesday. Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City), one of the primary sponsors of HB3, told the crowd that this is the best opportunity they have ever seen to pass the repeal, and she is not sure the opportunity will come again. Rep. Jay Hottinger (R-Newark), the other primary sponsor, said the estate tax “is a direct tax on Ohio’s middle class.” He said it is a matter of fairness and that by repealing the tax, farmers and small business owners will no longer have to sell in order to pay it. The rally was attended by representatives of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Citizens United to End Ohio’s Estate Tax. Rep. Bob Peterson (R-Sabina), a former Ohio Farm Bureau president, told the crowd, “You and I know the challenge of passing on a farm or small business to the next generation.” He encouraged farmers to meet with legislators and “tell the story.” |
JCARR Delays Building Codes
The Board of Building Standards agreed at Monday’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) meeting to re-file
building code regulations to allow more time for review.
Rep. Ross McGregor (R-Springfield), the committee chairman, said builders wanted more time to meet with the board and
discuss the assumptions it made in preparing fiscal analyses for the rules. “These are very detailed rules … they need a little more time to be reviewed,” McGregor said.
The delayed rules included more than 100 regulations for the building, mechanical and plumbing codes.
Ohio Construction Measure Improves 1.4% in Fourth Quarter
Associated Builders and Contractors reported Feb. 16 that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) for the fourth quarter of 2010 averaged 7.1 months, up from seven months in the third quarter of the prior year, reflecting an improvement of 1.4 percent.
The trade association said its CBI is a forward-looking indicator that measures the amount of construction work under contract to be completed in the future.
ABC represents more than 23,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms nationally with nearly two million employees
“Today’s backlog numbers are consistent with the pace of recovery in overall nonresidential construction activity,” said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. “However, what we are seeing from the fourth quarter 2010 data is a recovery in the construction industry that is more gradual than the rate of expansion in financial markets and the broader economy.”
Licking County uses savings to cut building-project fees
Ohio New construction and remodeling projects in Licking County just got cheaper and officials cite the county’s move to an on-demand building-code department.
The county created its own building-code office last year after Newark abolished its department, which had once served most of the county. The new countywide office, which has four full-time employees and hires inspectors on an as-needed basis, ended last year $100,000 in the black.
A year earlier, Newark’s department cost the city about $100,000 despite laying off about half the 20-person staff because of a drop in construction.
In response to the windfall, the Licking County commissioners yesterday voted to cut fees for applications and permits by 3 percent for most projects and to allow homeowners doing residential alterations or remodeling to pay a one-time, $25 application fee.
Jack Pryor, the county’s building official, said a home-remodeling project last year cost between $60 to $200 or more in permits and fees.
“The goal is to break-even,” Pryor said. “While we can’t ever get that down to the dollar, this reduction in feesis our best guess at getting closer to a break-even point. We don’t want to lose money, either.”
He said that if as many remodeling projects are completed in 2011 as were done in 2010, the county will bring in about $40,000 less because of the lower fees.
Pryor said he has been fielding questions from other building-code departments, most recently from KnoxCounty, that want to know how Licking County has been able to make the department work with such a small staff.
He said the county has a group of six part-time inspectors, who are retired but maintain their state licenses. They are called in only when there are inspections needed. That model ensures that the fees cover the cost of the inspections.
Mark Mauter, owner of Mark Builders in Heath and a past president of the Buckeye Valley Building Industry Association, said the county’s permit and inspection process has run smoothly so far.
“Coming in the midst of budget cutbacks, it was a cause for concern for a lot of us,” he said of the new department. “For the most part, it’s worked very well.”
Lane Beougher, AIA, Named Interim State Architect
Lane Beougher, AIA, Named Interim State Architect
Lane Beougher, AIA has been named Interim State Architect. Lane has been the Program Services Manager in the State Architect’s Office since 2005 and is a past president of AIA Columbus.
Surety Bond litigation: OSU Pilot Project
On Wednesday, February 2, 2011, the Ohio Supreme Court granted an “alternative writ” of mandamus, accepting the American Subcontractors Association and the Surety Association case against The Ohio State University, for failing to require a surety bond on the Pilot Project suspending competitive bidding law. See Complaint, Answer, Court Order attached.
The OSU Pilot Project legislation House Bill 318 expressly required a bond, but OSU administrators gained significant cost savings by not requiring a bond on the $1 billion project. Ohio law provides that subcontractors can sue upon a prime contractor’s performance bond for non-payment. The Complaint contends that failure to post the bond not only leaves OSU without recourse for non-performance, but also leaves Subcontractors without financial assurance.
Normally, a state agency will move to dismiss a complaint in mandamus, and argue the legal merits alone. However, OSU admits that the law requires a bond, and that OSU did not require one, claiming that the Construction Manager at risk instead posted a $20 million letter of credit. So the Court will allow both sides to file evidence, and then consider both the factual and legal issues.
The ASA and Sureties must file their Merit Brief in 30 days; any amicus curiae likewise must file by Friday, March 4, 2011. OSU and its amicus curiae then have 20 days more, Thursday, March 24, 2011.
Proposed OBBS Rules
For a list of new Administrative Rules proposed by the Ohio Board of Building Standards for the Ohio Building Code, go to: http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/jsps/PublicDisplayRules/searchrulenumber.jsp
6 Department of Commerce• Board of Building Standards: Ohio Building Code
Total Rules: 20 Original Filing Date: 10/9/2009 Date of Refiled Filing: 1/31/2011 Jurisdiction Ends: 3/2/2011 Public Hearing: 11/13/2009
Rule Type Action FYR? Rule Number Rule Title
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-1-01 Administration.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-2-01 Definitions.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-3-01 Use and occupancy classification.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-4-01 Special detailed requirements based on use and occupancy.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-5-01 General building heights and areas.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-6-01 Types of construction.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-7-01 Fire and smoke protection features.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-8-01 Interior finishes.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-9-01 Fire protection systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-10-01 Means of egress.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-11-01 Accessibility.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-12-01 Interior environment.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-13-01 Energy efficiency.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-14-01 Exterior walls.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-15-01 Roof assemblies and rooftop structures.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-16-01 Structural design.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-17-01 Structural tests and special inspections.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-18-01 Soils and foundations.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-19-01 Concrete.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-20-01 Aluminum.
Department of Commerce• Board of Building Standards: Ohio Building Code
Total Rules: 15 Original Filing Date: 10/9/2009 Date of Refiled Filing: 1/31/2011 Jurisdiction Ends: 3/2/2011 Public Hearing: 11/13/2009
Rule Type Action FYR? Rule Number Rule Title
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-21-01 Masonry phases of plastic injection molding .
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-22-01 Steel.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-23-01 Wood.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-24-01 Glass and glazing.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-25-01 Gypsum board and plaster.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-26-01 Plastic.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-27-01 Electrical.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-28-01 Mechanical systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-29-01 Plumbing systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-30-01 Elevators and conveying systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-31-01 Special construction.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-32-01 Encroachments into the public right-of-way.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-33-01 Safeguards during construction.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-34-01 Existing structures.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:1-35-01 Referenced standards.
9 Department of Commerce• Board of Building Standards: Ohio Mechanical Code
Total Rules: 15 Original Filing Date: 10/9/2009 Date of Refiled Filing: 1/31/2011 Jurisdiction Ends: 3/2/2011 Public Hearing: 11/13/2009
Rule Type Action FYR? Rule Number Rule Title
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-1-01 Administration.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-2-01 Definitions.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-3-01 General regulations.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-4-01 Ventilation.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-5-01 Exhaust systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-6-01 Duct systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-7-01 Combustion air.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-8-01 Chimneys and vents.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-9-01 Specific appliances, fireplaces and solid fuel-burning equipment.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-10-01 Boilers, water heaters and pressure vessels.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-11-01 Refrigeration.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-12-01 Hydronic piping.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-13-01 Fuel oil piping and storage.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-14-01 Solar systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:2-15-01 Referenced standards.
11 Department of Commerce• Board of Building Standards: Ohio Plumbing Code
Total Rules: 13 Original Filing Date: 10/9/2009 Date of Refiled Filing: 1/31/2011 Jurisdiction Ends: 3/2/2011 Public Hearing: 11/13/2009
Rule Type Action FYR? Rule Number Rule Title
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-1-01 Administration.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-2-01 Definitions.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-3-01 General regulations.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-4-01 Fixtures, faucets and fixture fittings.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-5-01 Water heaters.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-6-01 Water supply and distribution.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-7-01 Sanitary drainage.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-8-01 Indirect/special waste.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-9-01 Vents.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-10-01 Traps, interceptors and separators.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-11-01 Storm drainage.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-12-01 Special piping and storage systems.
New Rule Refiled Filing No 4101:3-13-01 Referenced standards.
Changes To Ohio Loan Program Offer More Help For Brownfield Cleanups
State officials recently overhauled a program that lends money for restoring polluted industrial sites to allow more companies to benefit from publicly funded brownfield cleanup assistance.
The Ohio Water Development Authority has administered the Brownfield Loan Program since 1995, but recently expanded it, eliminated certain restrictions and moved it into the Department of Development.
William Murdock, director of DOD’s Urban Development Division, said the OWDA loan program was severely underutilized partly because it had been isolated from the state’s other brownfield cleanup options, such as the Clean Ohio Program.
“Having the front door for all the brownfield in one place will help all the programs and with this particular program it will help it be better accessed,” he said.
OWDA Executive Director Steve Grossman said the loan program had only issued three loans since it was created, largely because of the grant money that became available through Clean Ohio.
“Once the Clean Ohio Program came about, there was something that’s more attractive than loan money and that’s free money. So the demand significantly fell away,” he said.
The changes are designed to mirror a separate program that OWDA shares with DOD, he said, referring to the Local Economic Development Loan Fund, which lends money to communities seeking to expand water infrastructure for business expansion.
“Using that model, where Development is the entry point for the loan recipient and Development does most of the credit analysis for it,” he said, adding OWDA will remain the funder. “They felt that by modifying our loan program, they could complement the work we’re doing.”
Although free money is available for industrial site cleanup, Clean Ohio has certain restrictions that make the newly improved loan program more attractive, Mr. Murdoch said. For example, it can only be used for certain types of sites, limited kinds of activity qualify and only local governments are eligible.
“Whereas with the brownfield loan program, private entities can apply, there’s more flexibility in some of the things it will pay for, and for potentially responsible parties – they’re potential borrowers but they’re not eligible for grant dollars,” he said.
Previously, companies that were deemed responsible for contaminating a site were not eligible for financing through the loan program or Clean Ohio.
“So this becomes a real powerful tool to help companies that want to take care of those problems and stay on the site and take care of those problems,” Mr. Murdock said. “I think it can become a real attractive option for companies who want to grow in place.”
Moreover, the loan program will be able to approve assistance much faster than Clean Ohio, he said. “If a project is ready to go to redevelopment, there’s going to be financing available right away.”
Mr. Murdock said the agency has already received several inquiries about the loan program since announcing the changes at a recent conference on brownfield redevelopment.
The new loan program offers up to $500,000 for site assessment costs and $5 million for cleanup expenses. Interest rates are below market rates and have a maximum repayment period of 10 years.
Updated SAO Manual Released
The State Architect’s Office has released The SAO Manual | 2011 – A Management Guide for Ohio Capital Improvements. This update to our primary guidance document features a completely reformatted design, reduced the page count by 50 percent, and an index for the first time.
Pages are numbered sequentially, and content in the Construction Section has been rearranged to group related information together. Definitions and the list of SAO documents have been moved to appendices at the back of the volume, and a Guide to OAKS Capital Improvements (OAKS CI) was added to allow users to see the name and description of each business process for the State’s web-based project management system. OAKS CI content has also been embedded in each section side by side with the traditional paper processes.
The SAO Manual | 2011 was used as the text for SAO’s Higher Education Certification Training Jan. 12 and 13, 2011. This annual training program is available to project management staff of Ohio’s higher education system. To download a PDF of the The SAO Manual, click here.