New structures bring new problems

Molly Shore

A parent and the school district are at odds about construction

problems at John Burroughs High School.

At Thursday night’s school board meeting, Jim Goss told the board

of his concerns about new linoleum floor tiles coming loose, flooding

on three floors during the heavy rains in December, door knobs

hitting and cracking stucco walls because of inadequate door stops

and poor acoustics in the school’s new multipurpose room.

“It’s a sad state of affairs that a parent has to go in and spot

these things when we have paid professionals who should do this,”

Goss said.

Ali Kiafar, the district’s chief facilities and development

superintendent, said the linoleum used in the new buildings is not as

sturdy as material used in past construction, but the old-style

linoleum contained asbestos.

The flooding was due to an inadequate storm drain system, which

has since been upgraded said Project Manager Jeff Bernards of

Bernards Bros. Construction Management.

“We got so much rain in such a short time, the storm drain system

we put in was overtaxed by the water,” he said, adding that

additional drains were installed.

New door stops have been ordered to resolve the problem of door

knobs hitting the stucco walls, Bernards said. The ones specified in

the construction plans were not tall enough to stop doors from

banging into walls, he said.

Bernards blames the poor acoustics in the multipurpose room on the

brick and glass design for that area, but he said, the design called

for those materials.

Jay Gudzin, assistant principal of athletics and activities, who

is the school’s liaison with the con- tractor, said any problems he

has encountered have been re- ported to Bernards Bros. con- struction

team and corrected.