CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners filed a civil complaint asking the court to award the county $3,878,660 in damages against TranSystems Corp., successor to L. Robert Kimball and Associates Inc., Leonard S. Fiore Inc., and Showalter Masonry Inc., the architect, the general contractor, and the masonry contractor, who designed and built the Clearfield County Jail in 1982.
The lawsuit alleges that the original construction drawings show that a bond beam should have been placed directly below the roof deck around the perimeter of the building.
Attorney Anthony D’Amico of D’Amico Law Offices in Pittsburgh, who is representing the County in the lawsuit stated, “The main purpose of a bond beam is to provide lateral support for the walls and anchor the roof. Basically, a bond beam ties the full masonry structure together.”
In August of 2021, the County partnered with ABM Building Solutions LLC to oversee the completion of a $9,398,612 renovation project at the jail.
During the demolition work for the renovation, it was discovered that the bond beam was not included during the original construction of the jail.
As a result, the roof was floating on top of the walls of the building, which created a safety hazard that needed to be corrected in order for the renovation project to continue.
The additional cost for completing the jail renovation project because the jail was constructed without a bond beam forms the basis for the damages claimed.
D’Amico stated, “The commissioners filed the lawsuit because they believe that it is fundamentally unfair for the citizens of Clearfield County to pay the additional costs to renovate the jail.
“The additional costs should be paid by the architect and the contractors who designed and built the jail but never finished the job that they were paid to do.”
