Centennial Reimbursed for McDonald Mishaps

The contractors in charge of building Centennial School District's new Region 2 Elementary School will cover the costs of heat pump damage and construction debris runoff, an official told Patch.

Quakertown-based contractor Penn Builders Inc. has agreed to cover a total of $20,130 in costs stemming from errors made with the projected $28.7 million construction at McDonald Elementary School. The school board, at its recent meeting, approved a credit adjustment of $10,000 for the deductible Centennial paid for heat pump damages.

"A welder was doing some work either on the roof or just below the roof and did not take preactuions and set on fire several units," school board member Kati Driban told Patch. "They accepted full responsibility."

Driban said the district's insurance "picked up most" and the rest of the damage was covered by the contractor's insurance. The $10,000 represents what the district paid in a deductible, she said.

The board also approved a credit adjustment of $10,130 total for two separate change orders. The first, for Penn Builders, reduces the total construction costs by $4,118 to a total of just under $11 million. The second, for Vollers Excavating and Construction Inc., reduces the total contracted costs by $6,012 to a total of just over $4 million.

Those district cost reductions, according to Driban, stem from a Bucks County Conservation District fine.

"Right before the hurricane we had that really severe storm where it dumped four inches of water in two hours," Driban said, adding that demolition had just begun and "the silt basin was not in place yet."

According to an agreeement executed with the Bucks County Conservation District, Penn Builders and Vollers Excavating and Construction, conservation district inspectors visited the site on four occasions beginning on Sept. 28, 2011 and ending on March 19, 2013 and observed eight violations, including "failure to follow approved plans" and "failure to comply with permit conditions."

"Contractors are paying and we are indemnified," Driban said. "They are paying the fines that are coming out of that."

Despite the setbacks, Christopher Berdnik, the district's business manager, said the project is moving along.

"The longest date on the last project schedule I looked at was for the demolition of the old building, which provided for grading of the site of the demolished building to be completed by mid-October," Berdnik said. "The new building would already be considered substantially complete now and will be ready for the opening of school this coming school year."