Delays at Hamilton Avenue School have pushed back the completion date for renovation from September 2007 to May 31. Now that deadline is in question too.
— Ken Borsuk / Greenwich Post Photo
Worth-less deadlines?
Building committee anticipates more setbacks at Hamilton Avenue
Another deadline threatens to elude workers in the construction of the new Hamilton Avenue School.
Though the project’s contractor, Worth Construction, has not confirmed the latest set of delays, it was revealed at a meeting of the project’s building committee this morning that the project’s latest completion date of May 31 will likely not be met.
Frank Mazza told the Post today there was no representative from Worth at the meeting to give an explanation for the latest delay on a project that was supposed to have been completed by last summer.
“What’s delaying them now? I don’t know,” Mr. Mazza said. “They keep saying there are issues that can’t get resolved, but we’ve been working to resolve those issues. We’re not holding them back. They’re holding themselves back.”
Ongoing communications issues between Worth and Swanke Hayden Connell Architects have been cited for many of the previous delays. URS was brought in as an independent mediator last year to try to settle these disputes, and while progress was made, representatives from Swanke Hayden appeared at Tuesday’s meeting to say issues remain unresolved and work is not being done quickly enough by Worth.
Parents have been clamoring for an ironclad date to be set in writing so people can be held responsible for missing deadlines. While the May 31 date had been used to try to assuage them, parents wanted more after so many previous Worth deadlines were missed. Mr. Mazza said the committee is looking at mid-June right now, but others have said it could take into July.
“Worth is still standing by its May 31 date, but we don’t think they’re going to be able to make it,” Mr. Mazza said. “Right now we don’t know what kind of revised date is going to be set.”....
....“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done here and not enough labor,” the source said, echoing a concern from parents that not enough people have been assigned to the project.
The source also reports there is a mold problem at the construction site because of water that has leaked into the basement.
Parents have had concerns about mold, but it has been dismissed in the past as rumor. Mr. Mazza said Tuesday the building committee has never received any reports of mold and urged anyone who knows about it to speak to the committee.
“If someone were to say something to us about that, then we will check it out,” Mr. Mazza said. “There are so many rumors out there right now that it’s getting ridiculous.”
Parents in the Hamilton Avenue community have grown impatient with delays, especially since the recent discovery of mold inside the modular classrooms the students have been in since 2005. Since then, Hamilton Avenue students have been sent to other schools in the district for the rest of the year. The parents have demanded accountability, and several have called for the resignations of Mr. Mazza and Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg for not doing more to get the project completed.
Last year the building committee discussed removing Worth Construction from the project but decided not to because doing so would place the entire project on hold with likely litigation.
=============================================
Please send comments to
GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
“If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free”
Franklin D. Roosevelt quotes
(American 32nd US President (1933-45),
cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president. 1882-1945)
— Ken Borsuk / Greenwich Post Photo
Worth-less deadlines?
Building committee anticipates more setbacks at Hamilton Avenue
Another deadline threatens to elude workers in the construction of the new Hamilton Avenue School.
Though the project’s contractor, Worth Construction, has not confirmed the latest set of delays, it was revealed at a meeting of the project’s building committee this morning that the project’s latest completion date of May 31 will likely not be met.
Frank Mazza told the Post today there was no representative from Worth at the meeting to give an explanation for the latest delay on a project that was supposed to have been completed by last summer.
“What’s delaying them now? I don’t know,” Mr. Mazza said. “They keep saying there are issues that can’t get resolved, but we’ve been working to resolve those issues. We’re not holding them back. They’re holding themselves back.”
Ongoing communications issues between Worth and Swanke Hayden Connell Architects have been cited for many of the previous delays. URS was brought in as an independent mediator last year to try to settle these disputes, and while progress was made, representatives from Swanke Hayden appeared at Tuesday’s meeting to say issues remain unresolved and work is not being done quickly enough by Worth.
Parents have been clamoring for an ironclad date to be set in writing so people can be held responsible for missing deadlines. While the May 31 date had been used to try to assuage them, parents wanted more after so many previous Worth deadlines were missed. Mr. Mazza said the committee is looking at mid-June right now, but others have said it could take into July.
“Worth is still standing by its May 31 date, but we don’t think they’re going to be able to make it,” Mr. Mazza said. “Right now we don’t know what kind of revised date is going to be set.”....
....“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done here and not enough labor,” the source said, echoing a concern from parents that not enough people have been assigned to the project.
The source also reports there is a mold problem at the construction site because of water that has leaked into the basement.
Parents have had concerns about mold, but it has been dismissed in the past as rumor. Mr. Mazza said Tuesday the building committee has never received any reports of mold and urged anyone who knows about it to speak to the committee.
“If someone were to say something to us about that, then we will check it out,” Mr. Mazza said. “There are so many rumors out there right now that it’s getting ridiculous.”
Parents in the Hamilton Avenue community have grown impatient with delays, especially since the recent discovery of mold inside the modular classrooms the students have been in since 2005. Since then, Hamilton Avenue students have been sent to other schools in the district for the rest of the year. The parents have demanded accountability, and several have called for the resignations of Mr. Mazza and Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg for not doing more to get the project completed.
Last year the building committee discussed removing Worth Construction from the project but decided not to because doing so would place the entire project on hold with likely litigation.
=============================================
Please send comments to
GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
“If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free”
Franklin D. Roosevelt quotes
(American 32nd US President (1933-45),
cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president. 1882-1945)
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