Classic Answer Man: Otter death? School building overrun penalties?

Note: This column originally was published Sept. 30, 2013.

Here's a bad idea: starting a weight loss competition with friends the same week Trader Joe's opens.

Apparently, Cookie Butter and oatmeal raisin dunkers are not conducive to the pounds melting away.

Undoubtedly, your burning questions will help me smite a few calories, along with my smart-aleck responses and the real deal.

Question: I've heard that something happened with one of the otters at the WNC Nature Center. Did one of them have to be put down?

My answer: I imagine this is accomplished with a quick otter toss into the bear enclosure.

Real answer: Rest easy, otter lovers, the adorable little rascals are just fine, according to center director Chris Gentile. The otters, a male and a female named Obi-wan and Olive, were moved to an upper yard while some repairs were done to the concrete in their pool area.

Previously:Answer Man: Weird plant taking over yard? Houses going up near Arboretum?

Answer Man: Why are some cardinals going bald? Can crows eat corn chips?

"Other than that, the otters have been perfectly fine," he said. "In fact, Obi-wan had a health checkup two months ago, and everything was good."

Olive is also quite healthy. The pair wolf down two full trout a day, each, and the center supplements that diets with some meat (the fish are not live, Gentile said — I suspect the meat isn't, either).

Gentile said the questioner may be a little confused because the center's coyote recently had a health scare.

"We had a coyote that we recently took off exhibit because it had a bowel obstruction," he said, adding that surgery was required to remove the foreign object, which looked like some kind of laminated cardboard. "Coyotes will eat just about anything they can find."

Question: Buncombe County Schools built two new intermediate schools two years ago, and both schools were completed by their contractors significantly later than scheduled. What financial settlement was reached by the school district with these two contractors for late completion of the projects?

My answer: Whoa, big fella! Let's not rush the penalty phase while the touch-up jobs are still underway.

Real answer: Believe it or not, the schools, which opened a year ago, aren't technically finished.

"Some work had to be done after we'd already moved the kids in," said Bob Rhinehart, chairman of the Buncombe County School Board. "There have been some kind of punch list things that have not gone as quickly as we hoped. Once we have finalized that, we'll figure out exactly what we're going to do."

School system spokeswoman Jan Blunt said they "hesitate to put a timeline on it, as the negotiations are continuing.

"We will certainly let the public know when settlements at each school are reached, and the outcome of each," she said.

Charlotte-based Shelco Inc. built the Eblen school, while Melloul-Blaney Inc., which has an office in Greenville, S.C., was the contractor for the Koontz school. Work started in the winter of 2010, and Eblen opened in December 2011, Koontz in January 2012.

The contractors already faced some $1,000 a day penalties, but Blunt said in 2011 that "essentially the penalty is $2,000 per day beyond the contracted date for substantial completion, which was originally mid-June 2011 for both schools."

Question: A few weeks ago, you wrote about a local N.C. Department of Environment & Natural Resources worker, Susan Wilson, who wrote a scathing farewell email to Secretary John Skvarla. His response letter wasn't made public, but it's since been printed elsewhere. How about publishing it?

My answer: I think Wilson got the better of him, but then again, Skvarla needs to keep his job. That'll make a fella employ a little moderation with his prose.

Real answer: Here's Skvarla's letter to "Ms. Wilson":

"If you truly believe that distrusting our fellow citizens made you a good regulator, I think it quite appropriate we part ways.

"I find that most people want to do the right thing if given the time and resources to do so. That goes for the regulated community and our employees. When I started at DENR I wondered how hard building a culture of customer service would be. The more I met our employees and learned about their expertise and passion for their work, the more I realized that most want to be helpful but weren't being recognized, rewarded, or in many instances allowed to be customer-centric.

"We have made great progress in a short amount of time because the vast majority of DENR employees have embraced the customer service attitude that is crucial to our success. We have seen the signs of progress by the many comments from customers and from your former co-workers taking the time to show interest in what customers are doing and respecting their experience and expertise. Rest assured that treating our customers with respect — respecting their time, their passions, the resources that have put into their projects — is no smokescreen. It is the grease that turns the twin gears of protecting the environment and growing the economy. It is the right way to run any organization and the right way to live one's life.

"But this philosophy and approach is not for everyone. I wish you luck in your retirement — or your new endeavors."

This is the opinion of John Boyle. Contact him at jboyle@citizen-times.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Classic Answer Man: Otter death? School building overrun penalties?