The need for a steel deck over the new auxiliary gymnasium was left out of the design plan for the expansion and renovation project of Pottsgrove High School in Pottstown, Penn.
As a result of the omission, the business managers will have to tap into the project’s $1.3 million contingency fund.
Contractors and architects broke the news at an Oct. 14th school board meeting.
The problem is the roof over the existing auxiliary gym, according to Pottsgrove Business Manager David Nester.
“We knew there was wood construction in there, which code does not allow now, and during the design phase we knew the wood would have to be replaced with steel. It just seems that a steel deck across the top was never included in the plans,” Nester told the Mercury News.
Jim Keiffer, senior project manager for KCBA Architects, told the board he could not explain how the omission was made, stating that his firm had not guaranteed that there would be no mistakes.
Nor is the missing steel deck the only setback to siphon off the $28 million project’s contingency fund. Nester indicated that contractors also discovered abandoned plumbing and power line conduit beneath the building that will to have to be removed.
“Whenever you do a remodeling project, you never know what you’re going to find every time you open up a floor, wall or ceiling,” Nester told the Mercury News. “You’re always going to find things you didn’t know about.”
