Cracks prompt new scrutiny at W-B Area high school site

Stressing the issue did not involve subsurface problems or work on concrete footers already underground, Wilkes-Barre Area School District Solicitor Ray Wendolowski explained that agreements with three new companies on the new high school construction project are in response to discovery of some cracking in load-bearing walls.

At Monday’s virtual meeting the School Board unanimously approved, without comment, agreements with PLACE Structural Design, LLC, Atlantic Testing Laboratories, and D’HUY Engineering, Inc. copies of the agreements included in the agenda posted online made it clear the contracts were related to structural issues at the new high school, but didn’t spell out much in details.

Asked to elaborate Tuesday, Wendolowski said all three were hired to help figure out why some walls cracked when roof support structures started to be applied, to help determine who bears responsibility for the issue and thus would likely be required to pay for any remediation, and to monitor further work to avoid any problems moving forward.

Wendolowski stressed the cracking is either a design or construction flaw and not being caused by any subsurface conditions. The school is being built on land where mining has a occurred in the past, and critics have predicted subsidence problems.

“The situation involved some cracking in the walls,” Wendolowski said. “They were noticed immediately and we began investigating. There is an ongoing dialog between (the contractor) Quandel and its subcontractor” regarding where the blame may be.

Regardless, Wendolowski insisted, “it’s clearly not a district issue. The district will not be financially responsible for additional work. We are doing everything we can to investigate and make sure it gets corrected. It’s clearly not a safety issue or a (building) longevity issue. There will be proposed remediation so it will be safe and useful for the intended purposee and expected lifetime.”

Remediation could vary depending on the specific problem at any given site. Steel supports could be installed to bear roof weight and take the stress of the walls, or the walls could be rebuilt.

The district is taking a three-pronged approach to the issue.

Because there is a dispute between a contractor and a subcontractor, PLACE was hired as a structural engineer to review the issue and make a report as a third-party to help resolve the question of cause and responsibility. Atlantic Testing Laboratories will use ground-penetrating radar to check walls and see if any unseen problems exist. And D’HUY will monitor any future construction of walls.

The agreements with the three are “within budget limits,” Wendolowski said. The project, set to be completed by the fall of 2021, is estimated at about $122 million. It is about 64% complete.