Zebulon Robbins Sr.

Anthony Scott 
Jan. 16, 1994 
Anthony C. Scott, Of Floral Park, N.y., Died Jan. 16 In New York.

By ANNE KAROLYI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, January 30, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 4A QUICK WORDS: HAZLETON HIGH TO REMAIN
OPEN 





HAZLETON -- Hazleton Area officials declared the high school safe and
sturdy enough to reopen this morning, but they still must tackle the next big
questions about the problem-plagued building: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 How much is falling apart, and whose fault is it anyway? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The answer may eventually come in court. On Monday, the school board
discussed possible legal action the district could take concerning the
18-month-old school, said district Solicitor David Glassberg. Since the $23
million building opened for classes in 1992, it has been beset with problems:
frequent leaks, broken lockers, malfunctioning bells, loose iles, stuck doors
and a sagging and buckling roof. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Someone should start uncovering the blame soon and start repairs, said
state Rep. Thomas Stish, D-Hazleton. On Monday, Stish asked the State Public
School Building Authority to investigate the building's construction and
consequent problems, particularly the roof. The authority must inspect every
public school building built with state funds -- $14 million in Hazleton Area
High School -- before it opens, Stish said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Actually, Hazleton Area hired the authority to monitor the project as a job
supervisor, said Superintendent Geraldine Shepperson. The authority was to
keep track of construction, she said, and money for the project went through
the authority, which directed bill payments as work was done. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Robert Baccon, assistant executive director for the building authority,
said the authority asked contractor Lambert and Intreri Inc. of Mechanicsburg,
to correct problems since a final inspection in 1992. Shepperson, who became
superintendent this school year, confirmed the district has had problems with
the building since the beginning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So why weren't the problems corrected? What exactly is wrong? And who
should have prevented or corrected both? The board has hired a San
Francisco-based construction management team, O'Brien-Kreitzberg and
Associates, to find out. Directors will wait for the answers before deciding
on any further action, Glassberg said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For example, school officials won't say if structural deficiencies
contributed to the roof buckles and sags or if the snow was just too heavy.
Engineers so far were asked only to determine the building's safety, Glassberg
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But if a new roof in Northeastern Pennsylvania gives way under snow, that
itself is a structural problem, Stish said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When you live in this climate, a building should be built to expect the
worst, not the least," Stish said. "That roof should have been constructed to
withstand any amount of snow we got." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The investigation should take about a month, Glassberg said. In the
meantime, the building is safe and will remain open for its 2,000 students,
Shepperson said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The district closed the school Friday and Monday to allow independent
engineers to inspect the entire roof, Shepperson said. Previously, engineers
involved with the construction looked only at the sagging areas, she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We just wanted to be sure," Shepperson said. "There were no additional
problems which made us close. It was an extra precaution." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Students will not have to make up those two days of lost classes, because
the state considers them emergencies, Shepperson said. The district still must
make up seven snow days before June 30. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The district did have a contingency plan to keep high school students in
class elsewhere should the high school close. Shepperson declined to discuss
it, saying, "It's not the case, so it's not necessary." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As investigators reveal the extent of the school's problems, the next
questions will line up: how much will repairs cost, and who will pay? The
district has no idea now, although its insurance company has been informed
that a claim may be coming, Glassberg said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After Monday's meeting, Shepperson said she just wants the matter resolved. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We were so proud. It took us 26 years to build a central high school," she
said. "We were so delighted. And now it's all this."

Hazleton High To Remain Open; 
Flaws Plague $23 Million School 
It Is 18 Months Old, But 
The Building Leaks And Sags, 
Doors Stick, Bells Don't 
Work And The District Is 
Looking For Who's To Blame

Hazleton High To Remain Open; Flaws Plague $23 Million School It Is 18 Months Old, But The Building Leaks And Sags, Doors Stick, Bells Don't Work And The District Is Looking For Who's To Blame