Districts stops construction of new high school

By TOM KANE

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — The lack of money and unsettled disputes with contractors has brought construction at the new Sullivan West High School to a halt.

Superintendent Alan Derry made the announcement at the school board meeting on September 9.

The stop-work order involves problems in the building, on the athletic fields and on the grounds.

“We are concerned about the efflorescence coming from the bricks of the building, the leaky roof and tiles that have not been successfully laid,” Derry said.

Completion of the athletic fields—football, baseball and two softball fields and four tennis courts—has been halted.

The district is awaiting the result of mediation with the Hillier Company, the architects for the project, Derry said.

There are inherent problems with the input of the Leeward Construction Company, the contractor responsible for the site work, and with the Turner Company, the construction managing company that has the job of overseeing the entire project, he said.

“We want to avoid litigation at all costs,” Derry said. “Currently, we are holding informal conversations with Leeward and Turner. We hope to clarify who is liable and by so doing recoup some of our funds so we can complete the project. So far, we are in the discovery phase.”

“The project simply has cost more than was anticipated,” Derry said.

“The district wants to avoid over-extending the budget in completing the remaining work and this is the main reason for the stoppage,” said the district’s engineering consultant, Arnie Bertsche of Bertsche Engineering, Inc. of Honesdale, PA. “The district wants to avoid litigation since that is the most expensive way to solve a problem,” Bertsche said.

A new drainage design has been presented and has to be put in place immediately, according to board president Richard Sandler.

“The state has agreed that the drainage system must be constructed soon,” Sandler said. “We have the money set aside to pay for it, but we must recoup the money from Hillier who designed the system.”

“This has been a very complex project, which has been affected by many things,” Bertsche said. “The merger was big, the construction was big, the scope of the project was big. A lot has happened to affect the project, not the least being 9/11, which has caused major jumps in the cost of building materials.”

“There were no controls and no oversight all during the project,” said school board member Arthur Norden. “The project was rushed ahead by people who were looking to fatten their resumes and encourage real estate deals. Our tax levy has doubled since this construction started. It was a mistake from the beginning.”

Sandler said the project would go forward once the disputes have been settled and the money recouped.

A Hillier representative responded but did not have enough information to comment. Leeward could not be reached for comment.