Canceled contracts cost district $98,500
After two years, Moon Area School District still is settling outstanding debts from a canceled secondary schools project.
Moon Area school directors, by a 7-1 vote at a workshop meeting on Monday, approved paying $98,500 for two retracted contracts.
Moore Boehm Enterprises Inc. settled for $45,000 after requesting $75,000 for their canceled heating, ventilation and air conditioning services, and Pittsburgh Stage Inc. received $53,500 for their canceled contract pertaining to stage components.
"The ones that are still open, there hasn't been much action. The ball is in their court."
A total of six cancelled contractors agreements, totaling more than $380,000, remain unresolved from the project, which was scrapped in March 2006, said Mark Scappe, board president.
That project included a new high school costing approximately $48 million and a renovated middle school.
"We had executed all of our contracts (for the high school.) We had awarded to everybody. There were about 30 contractors. It cost taxpayers," said Scappe.
Settling with 27 contractors has cost Moon Area $6.8 to $7 million so far, said Al Bennett, district financial director.
After halting the project, Republican directors adopted a plan that included a new middle school and a renovated high school for $88 to $97 million.
Contractors were expected to bid upon it in April.
But a new board majority, voted in last November, changed the project for a second time in as many years in January, reverting back to a new high school and renovated middle school for an estimated worst-case cost of $105.4 million.
Mark Limbruner cast the lone opposition vote to the contract settlements, and Carol Cellini was absent for the first workshop action meeting under the board's new meeting format.
School directors will hold two business meetings monthly.
The fourth Monday mainly will be a workshop meeting, but an action meeting can be held at 6 p.m. for any time-sensitive votes.
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Were these the contracts hastily signed just days before the new board was put in place? With so many lawsuits involving the MASD it is hard to keep track. And how about the board members suing other board members? Of course all of these suits will seem trivial when the current board finishes raising taxes. If only we could raise the test scores.
Just for clarification. These cancellations were from the project halted in 2006 when the current minority was the new majority.
Yes, the same contracts that were signed in haste.