PVHS repairs could start soon

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PVHS repairs could start soon

By Hatfield/Staff writer

Santa Times - Santa ,CA

http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2006/08/05/news/news02.txt

After more than two years of back-and-forth negotiations about who

will pay to fix Pioneer Valley High School's mold, school officials

hope to begin replacing windows and doors within the next month.

All campus windows, most doors and several exterior walls in the two-

year-old school leak because they were installed improperly, leading

to water intrusion, said Jeff Hearn, superintendent of the Santa

Joint Union High School District.

Various contractors have disputed the cause of the mold, which has

led to long negotiations over who should pay for repairs.

Since school starts up Aug. 16, school officials placed extra

portable classrooms on campus so students and teachers can work

there temporarily while their classrooms are worked on, Hearn said.

After receiving a $7.9 million boost from the State Allocation Board

in March, administrators hope to move the replacement process along

quicker than the legal battle has progressed.

Since June 2004, the district has spent almost $3.3 million on the

mold - about $1.8 million on mold cleanup, repairs, architectural

services and testing for mold, and the remaining $1.5 million on

legal fees, Hearn said.

PVHS's general contractor as well as several subcontractors are

involved in the negotiations over who is responsible for paying for

the mold remediation. Parties have been in talks since August 2004,

the same month the school opened. A preliminary case management date

has been set in San Obispo Superior Court for October of next

year.

The school district can recover legal expenses once the issue is

settled, either in or out of court, Hearn said, but some

subcontractors suspect that the case is far from being settled

because of what they call interference from the district's Los

Angeles attorneys.

While Hearn understands the subcontractors' skepticism, he said, he

argued that rising attorney's fees are motivating all parties

involved to find a solution sooner rather than later.

Mold was discovered in several campus buildings in fall 2004, when

the new school opened. Mold-infected walls and ceilings have since

been removed and replaced.

Poor air quality and elevated levels of mold spores have been

recorded in the school's library, cafeteria and administration

building and two classroom buildings.

Specialists continue to monitor the air quality each quarter, and

the readings have been good since mold-infested objects were

removed, Hearn has said in the past. Spore levels have spiked, but

have not risen to unsafe or unhealthy levels, he said.

The state loan of $7.9 million is interest-free and the district

doesn't have to repay it until the litigation is settled, Hearn said.

PVHS cost almost $60 million to build. It opened to freshmen and

sophomores in fall 2004 and will have all four classes of students

for the first time this fall, totaling about 3,000 students in ninth

through 12th grades.

Hatfield can be reached at 739-2216 or

mhatfield@....