District files lawsuit against contractor

District files lawsuit against contractor
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
BRISTOL SCHOOLS

The lawsuit cites construction delays and defects in the work at the new Snyder-Girotti Elementary School.

The Bristol Borough School District is suing its general contractor on the new Snyder-Girotti Elementary School for $660,000, claiming the company caused delays and construction defects, according to court documents filed in county court.

The district claims in the lawsuit that Ernest Bock and Sons Inc. of Philadelphia completed the project almost 500 days late and the new building experienced roof and wall leaks and cracked foundation and flooring.

The district also is suing the engineer on the construction project, Vitetta Group Inc. of Philadelphia, for $50,000 plus legal fees claiming professional malpractice. School officials said that company's design plans were faulty and caused the building's problems, according to county court documents.

The newspaper couldn't reach representatives for Bock or Vitetta for comment Friday.

In October 2006, the district hired Bock as general contractor on the $19.4 million project, which was supposed to be finished no later than April 2008. The district hired Vitetta to design the building on Buckley Street in 2004, the suit said.

If Bock breached that contract, the company was to pay $1,000 per day in damages. The school wasn't done until August 2009, but Bock didn't pay the damages, according to the court documents filed Thursday.

But that wasn't the only problem, according to the district.

Besides roof and wall leaks and cracks in the foundation and floors, officials say the heating and air conditioning system didn't function properly and classroom projection screens weren't sized or installed right. The district also claims Bock didn't produce construction schedules, have enough workers, or pay subcontractors and suppliers in a timely fashion, according to the lawsuit.

Since school officials say they lost use of the building for an entire academic year and incurred increased costs to fix those issues, they're asking for $360,000 from Bock saying 360 of the 499 late days were inexcusable, county court documents said. The district is also seeking $50,000 for breach of contract, $100,000 in utility charges for electricity Bock used during construction, $50,000 in legal fees, and $100,000 for breach of warranty, the suit said.

School officials are also demanding $50,000 plus unspecified legal fees for delay and breach of warranty and contract from Vitetta because they say the engineering firm's documents contained errors, omissions and defects involving the roof, walls, foundation, floors, projection screens, and heating and air conditioning system, according to court documents.

Rachel Canelli can be reached at 215-949-4191 or rcanelli@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Rachel on Twitter at Twitter.com/buzz_in_bucks.

February 13, 2011 02:00 AM

PhillyBurbs.com: Â District considers changing grading system for physical education

PhillyBurbs.com:  District considers changing grading system for physical education

File this one under "Be more like Bristol"

From our neighbors in Bristol

From the BCCT:

Students must re-register for school

By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
BRISTOL SCHOOLS

Families are required to provide identification, such as a driver's license, and proof of residency, like a utility or tax bill.

Attention Bristol parents: You need to re-register your children for the 2010-11 school year at Bristol Borough Junior/Senior High School by Aug. 26 or they may not be admitted to school.

The guidance office will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12:01 p.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday over the next two weeks to help ease the process. The office is closed for lunch from 11 a.m. to noon.

Parents should have received notices in the spring, and the district is sending out automated phone calls as a reminder to parents, said business manager Joseph Roe.

"We did this district-wide 10 years ago, but not to this extent since," he said. "We just asked certain people (to prove borough residency) who had red flags, like a piece of mail came back undeliverable. We just thought it was time to redo it (district-wide) because otherwise, it's like we're starting to pick on certain people."

Families are required to provide identification, such as a driver's license, and proof of residency, like a utility or tax bill, Roe said.

Bristol school board President Ralph DiGiuseppe III said during a meeting Wednesday night that the district solicitor is working on finding out what happens if unregistered kids show up to school.

Roe said if parents aren't available when the guidance office is open, the district will offer special arrangements to make sure students are registered.

"We're bending over backwards to get this done," he said. "So there's no excuse for people not to comply."

How to re-register

Re-registration is being held at Bristol High School's guidance office, 1801 Wilson Ave., from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 17 through 19 and Aug. 24 through Aug. 26. The office is closed from 11 a.m. to noon.

August 13, 2010 02:08 AM

New school works on arrival, dismissal process

Unfortunately, for us, its not our school and its host of issues they are talking about. Thumbs up to the folks in Bristol for recognizing there is a problem, and trying to make the situation better for everybody. Once again the board majority has squandered an opprotunity. Instead of reaching out to parents, there was the typical "stay on track " silence. Listen guys, all we are asking is that you listen attentively to our concerns and do something to improve the situation. Whether it is our concerns about the traffic, or renovations, we have heard nothing from you, or your communications director. Are you guys that far out of touch, or do you just not care?

from the bcct:

New school works on arrival, dismissal process
By: JOAN HELLYER
Bucks County Courier Times


Revisions will include additional crossing guards and adjustments to a traffic light's timing at a key intersection.
Extra crossing guards will be on duty this morning as students arrive for class at the new Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary/Middle School, borough and district officials said Wednesday.
The additional guards are needed to help students safely get across the busy intersection at Beaver and Pond streets near the school, Bristol Mayor Joseph A. Saxton said Wednesday after a meeting between borough and district representatives.
The officials met in borough hall after spending the first few days of the new school year observing traffic patterns during arrival and dismissal times from the $35 million school that serves more than 900 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade.
"We knew it wasn't going to go off perfectly," police Chief Arnold Porter said. "But we've been working on it. Parents have to understand that their kids are safe."
Officials have asked parents who drive their children to school to park in the Grundy skating rink on the other side of Beaver Street and then make sure the kids get across the street with the help of a crossing guard to get to school.
However, many parents are parking on private properties owned by businesses on Pond Street across from the school, officials said.
The additional crossing guards will help move the foot traffic more quickly across Pond Street while borough and district officials look for ways to improve the drop off and pick up plan.

Officials also will try to have a traffic light at the intersection modified to allow more time for motorists to turn left onto Pond Street from Beaver Street during dismissal time, Saxton said.
Right now, the light is programmed to allow traffic to move in that direction for 10 to 12 seconds at a time. That's causing traffic leaving the skating rink to back up, the mayor said.
Authorities report there has been some tension between parents and crossing guards when arrival and dismissal procedures are not followed. However, there have been no arrests.
Snyder-Girotti Principal Rosemary Parmigiani acknowledges a lot of the problems could have been avoided if the old district elementary school behind the new building was already demolished.
But that likely will not happen until next summer, officials said.
"We've informed parents that we all have to be flexible, just like with any growing pains," the principal said.
Want to know more?
Call 215-781-1020 or go to www.bbsd.org and click onto the link "Attention Parents of Snyder-Girotti Students New." It provides information about arrival and dismissal procedures at the new school.