Disputed school defects focus of meeting

July 26--The Greeneview school board will meet with the contractor responsible for construction of the high school to move forward with plans to repair the building which has been plagued with problems and defects, according to school board information.

The school board and Staffco Construction Inc. are scheduled to meet on Aug. 21 to discuss a 122-page report developed by Mays Consulting & Evaluation Services Inc. that outlines numerous alleged construction defects in the roofing system.

"It's really the first time we have everybody together to discuss the deficiencies," said Isaac Seevers, the Greeneview Local Schools superintendent.

The school board alleges problems with the building started shortly after Greeneview High School, on Cottonville Road, was built in 2002. According to previous preliminary estimates from the school board, it could take up $3.5 million to fix the problems with the building.

The school district plans to take a loan up to $6 million to cover the repairs for the high school and fund upgrades and repairs to the elementary school, according to the superintendent. Greeneview school district taxpayers will have to pay an additional approximate 2.5-mill property tax levy next year to cover the loan.

Staffco made some repairs to the gymnasium roof in 2007, but problems with leaks continued, according to Seevers.

The school board hired Mays Consulting, based in Delaware, Ohio, last year to assess problems with the building. Mays determined there multiple deficiencies in the materials and construction of the roof.

In a letter dated June 5, the school board requested Staffco, and other contractors and insurance companies associated with the project, meet to discuss the report.

"While the District reserves all rights, the defects discovered by Mays implicate the masonry work, mechanical work and the general trades work," wrote Seevers. "Those defects have caused ongoing water damage to the interior of the school, which is also documented in the Mays Report."

Staffco has hired a consultant to review the Mays report and develop a response that will be discussed at the meeting next month, said Staffco President Jon Stafford.

"The report from Mays is one sided," he said. "We take issue with some of the findings in there."

Stafford said he was surprised by some of the issues raised in the report, but declined to go into further detail at this time.

"We always stand behind our work," Stafford said. "Like any other general contractor that does the type of projects that we do, we want the customer to be happy and satisfied with the work."

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