CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield school board approved a tentative settlement offer of $100,000 from RNR Construction Company Inc. in regards to the Girard-Goshen Elementary School at Monday night’s meeting.
The board’s approval is pending the satisfactory completion of all settlement paperwork. It must also be approved by the district’s counsel, noted Superintendent Terry Struble prior to the board’s vote.
Struble said the district’s settlement with RNR Construction was the result of recent mediation efforts. He said it appeared to be the best figure the district would get, and its counsel recommended accepting it.
Board President Mary Anne Jackson said the district has ongoing litigation with Mid State Construction (general contractor) and URS Corp. (construction management). URS Corp., she said, will not acknowledge any involvement.
She said it is understandable as URS Corp. wasn’t involved with Girard-Goshen. However, she said that they later acquired the company that was involved with the construction of the elementary school.
She said URS Corp. has actually countersued the district for the expense of its attorney fees. The construction management company, she said, has hired attorneys from Philadelphia and Brooklyn, NY.
Jackson said the summary judgement in the countersuit against the district will be heard in December. She said so far as the district’s remaining defendants, a trial has been scheduled for January.
Girard-Goshen was constructed in 2002. However, it was temporarily closed by the district in 2010 due to structural issues with its roof. Girard-Goshen was permanently closed in 2012, according to previously published GANT reports.