Wilkes-barre

Anna Lowery 
Feb. 3, 1994 
Anna M. Lowery, Of The Little Flower Manor, Wilkes-barre, Died Thursday In The 
Manor.

By JENNIFER LEARN; Times Leader Hazleton Bureau
 Saturday, February 05, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1 &amp; 18A QUICK WORDS: STATE AUTHORITY
MUST ENSURE CORRECTION 





HAZLETON -- The State Public School Building Authority is responsible for
ensuring that building deficiencies plaguing the 18-month-old Hazleton Area
High School are corrected. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Harrisburg authority, an independent agency, financed building
construction and signed a contract with the Hazleton Area School District
agreeing to oversee the construction of the $23.7 million building, said
Robert Baccon, authority assistant executive director. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Construction began in April 1990 after the authority awarded the lowest
bidder, Lambert and Intreri Inc. of Mechanicsburg, the general contractor job
in February of that year. Once work began, the authority conducted routine
inspections during construction, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, certain loose ends were never tied by Lambert and Intreri, Baccon
said. To make matters worse, since the school opened in the fall of 1992,
major problems, such as buckling roofs and water leaks, have tested the
patience of school and authority officials. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The district periodically has had the building inspected to be sure it is
safe for occupants. Hazleton Area School Superintendent Geraldine Shepperson
said safety has been and will continue to be the district's prime concern.
While the school may be safe, the deficiencies still should be corrected, she
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Accepting some blame &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Technically, the district owns the central high school. But it is the state
authority's responsibility to fix building problems, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The authority, which acted as a clerk-of-the-works of the project, admits
it is taking too long to fix problems at the high school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Baccon said the authority has a plan to make sure the district doesn't have
to pay for deficiencies stemming from building design or construction flaws. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The project hasn't been totally finalized, so we are still responsible to
see the contractor does what he was supposed to do," Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The authority has held $50,000 of Lambert and Intreri's $13 million
contract until all work is completed. If Lambert and Intreri refuses to
complete work and the authority needs more than $50,000 to pay someone else to
fix problems, then it will go after a performance bond the contractor posted
at United States Fidelity &amp; Guaranty Co. in Harrisburg. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 USF&amp;G representatives would not disclose the amount of the performance
bond. Baccon said the amount, in most cases, is the amount in the contract. In
the Hazleton case, that's $13 million. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 General contractors post performance bonds to show clients they can trust
them to complete work, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Passing some blame &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Baccon emphasized the district is responsible for fixing problems caused by
normal wear and tear or inadequate maintenance that have appeared since the
building opened for classes in September 1992. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Aug. 19, 1992, authority officials inspected the almost-completed high
school and then gave Lambert and Intreri a punch list of items that still had
to be completed, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A punch list is a trade term for itemized details that must be completed to
fulfill a construction contract. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The following people were present at the August inspection, according to
state records: Hazleton Area School Board member Edmund Ferdinand and district
secondary-education director Carl Dargay, who no longer works at the district;
authority inspectors George Peterson and Frank Michael; Lambert and Intreri
representative Wayne Spahr; and William Hardy, who represented the electrical
contractor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lambert and Intreri completed some of the items on the initial punch list.
Peterson and Michael deleted the completed items from the list and created a
second punch list of problems on Oct. 20, 1992. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is this list, along with subsequent deficiencies since October 1992,
that the authority wants Lambert and Intreri to satisfy. The authority has
been pushing Lambert and Intreri to address the items on this punch list ever
since they gave it to them. The district, too, has repeatedly asked Lambert
and Intreri to correct problems and deficiencies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most of the roughly 200 items on this second punch list involve painting,
cleaning and minor finishing details, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The major problems the district wants corrected, deficiencies such as roof
leaks, cracked walls and lifting floor tiles, have been added to the punch
list since classes started in 1992. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Baccon said in most building projects, the general contractor makes sure
the items on the punch list are completed, then the architect, contractor,
authority and district sign off and agree the project is complete. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the case of Hazleton Area High, the project is still left hanging
because the punch list was not completed by the contractor, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The architect has not signed off, nor has the authority signed off. As far
as we're concerned, the building project still is not completed," Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Muddling through &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The district went ahead with school-dedication ceremonies on Aug. 23, 1992,
even though all work was not complete. Classes have continued to meet at the
high school, where almost 2,000 students in grades 10 through 12 attend. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During 18 months after opening, problem after problem erupted at the
school. Buckled roofs, cracks in the walls, leaks and other problems were
added to the punch list. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shepperson said it's a shame about the school's problems. She was proud of
it when it was built and thought it the most impressive school in the county. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shepperson declined to comment on correcting the school's deficiencies, in
case legal actions are required. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Former school board member Nancy Gilgannon, who was board president last
year, said the board met frequently with the authority to try to correct
leaking roofs, pool corrosion and cracking walls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The board didn't take legal action because the problems were not affecting
the safety of children, Gilgannon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Once the problems are fixed, Gilgannon said, she believes the building will
be functional and beautiful. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I still truly believe that school is and will continue to be a magnificent
structure," Gilgannon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Baccon insists the authority has been pushing Lambert and Intreri to
complete the punch list since it was issued in October 1992. The authority is
trying to set up a meeting with the contractor to discuss the problem. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They (Lambert and Intreri) return our calls and have been responsive to a
degree, but problems haven't been addressed as quickly as they should have
been," Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lambert and Intreri did not return five Times Leader phone calls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The building designer, Allentown architect Robert Bosak, has promised to
correct and pay for any problems found to stem from the school's design. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A third party &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last month, the school board expedited the resolution of the building mess
by hiring the San Francisco-based O'Brien-Kreitzberg and Associates, a
construction management/claims firm. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The firm will study and release information on who, in their opinion, is
responsible for each deficiency, from broken door handles to buckled roofs.
The study also will include problems involving inadequate maintenance and
general wear and tear, for which the district will be responsible. That study
is expected to be completed and announced at the next school-board meeting at
7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at Hazle Elementary School. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The school board meeting was originally scheduled at the high school, but
the location was moved because the sound system wasn't working at the last
meeting. The faulty sound system is one of the many items on the second punch
list. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Blame for problems could fall to the architect, the contractor, district
maintenance workers or companies that manufactured faulty equipment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Baccon said the authority will consider the O'Brien-Kreitzberg report when
deciding who is responsible for each problem at the school. The authority will
meet with the district sometime after the report is released, Baccon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the advice of district solicitor David L. Glassberg, school officials
are not issuing comments on how they plan to handle the problems, in case they
have to take legal action.

State Authority Must Ensure Correction Of School Deficiencies 
The State Public School 
Building Authority May Go 
After A Bond The Contractor 
Posted With Usf&g In 
Harrisburg If The Contractor 
Refuses To Complete Work

State Authority Must Ensure Correction Of School Deficiencies The State Public School Building Authority May Go After A Bond The Contractor Posted With Usf&g In Harrisburg If The Contractor Refuses To Complete Work