Salinas schools spend millions on water damage

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Salinas schools spend millions on water damage

Salinas schools shell out for portables, water damage repairs

Monterey County Herald - Monterey,CA*

By CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS

Herald Salinas Bureau

03/24/2008

http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_8675954

To enter the multipurpose room at Loya Elementary School, one

must walk through double-plastic doors, taped to the wall with blue

insulating tape, warning of mold contamination.

Inside, Alisal Union School District Superintendent Esperanza

Zendejas points to one of the walls that has been stripped of

drywall and insulation.

" All that is water intrusion, " Zendejas says, referring to the black

spots on the wood walls. " If that's not taken care of, in two years

the whole structure would be compromised. "

That's exactly what happened to the Virginia Rocca Barton

multipurpose room, which was condemned almost three years ago

because of mold and rot. That year, the multipurpose rooms of

Bardin, Alisal Community, G. , Fremont and

elementary schools had to be shut because of the same problem.

The rooms at , Bardin and Fremont never re-opened.

Three years after those rooms were shuttered, and two years after

Alisal residents approved a bond to repair damaged facilities, the

district is undergoing a massive renovation project that will repair

water damage in nine of its 12 schools, including those built within

the past 15 years.

The process began last fall, when all the students at Loya,

Creekside and Cesar Chavez elementary schools were moved to portable

buildings. Many students at , Fremont, Luther King

Jr. and Steinbeck elementaries also take classes in portables

because of mold problems.

Although many parents complain that their concerns were not

addressed in a timely manner, officials say they have been moving as

fast as they can to fix the problem.

Zendejas said she was put in charge of facilities in July, and by

November, 14 portable classrooms had been installed at Cesar Chavez

Elementary — a school that's less than 12 years old.

The district spent $2 million for the transition, and it's expected

to shell out at least $4.8 million more for renovations.

" We have spent quite a bit of money in interim housing, but we don't

have a choice, " Zendejas said. " For me, it's not looking at how much

we're spending, but are those students in a safe environment? "

Marina Gomez, mother of a 7-year-old student, said she has organized

other parents and complained about mold for years.

" The first time we reported this it was two classrooms, " Gomez

said. " The second time it was three classrooms, and they didn't do

anything until last year. It had been four years before anything was

done. (Zendejas) worked very quickly — the portable buildings were

installed quickly and all the children were moved. "

But Alisal Union trustee Jesus Velasquez refutes charges that the

board or former Superintendent Pulido were dragging their

feet.

" We can't start working until we get state approval, " Velasquez

said. " We have to have plans to build — it's a long process. It's

not like changing a toilet in your house. "

Most important, Velasquez said, the problems the district is facing

are not the trustees' doing.

" Bottom line, we're in this position because the construction was

done improperly, " he said. " We have a big mess in our hands, but we

did everything the right way the first time. Sadly, many of these

construction companies we hired used the same subcontractors, and

that's why we have the same problems in the same school sites. "

The building contractors used in most — if not all — of the affected

schools are Salinas-based Tombleson Inc. and Dilbeck & Sons Inc.

Alisal Union school officials sued Tombleson almost four years ago

for defective tile work done on the Luther King Jr. Academy,

the newest school in the district that was barely finished in 2002.

In turn, Tombleson sued Accent Tile & Marble and a slew of other

subcontractors. The case has been slogging through the courts, and

district officials are in settlement negotiations they hope to

conclude soon.

It's unclear if a settlement for the work done at Luther King

would conclude litigation against Tombleson.

Four years ago, Alisal and Santa Rita Union School districts filed a

joint lawsuit against the contractor and Dilbeck & Sons Inc. for

work done at La Joya Elementary in the Santa Rita district and

Creekside, Steinbeck, Cesar Chavez, , Bardin,

Virginia Rocca Barton, Fremont, Alisal Community and

elementaries in the Alisal district.

A month later, Santa Rita withdrew from the joint lawsuit and filed

a separate one. Ed Cullen, who is representing Tombleson in that

case, said Monterey County Judge O'Farrell just ordered the

start of discovery.

" We're just beginning the deposition phase, " Cullen said. " We need

to find out exactly what's wrong with the building: If there's leaks

on the wall, what's the reasons why? If the stucco subcontractors

did not mix it with the right thickness. ... Everybody knows what

actually happened, but we're looking to determine why these problems

came about. "

Santa Rita officials accuse Tombleson, Dilbeck & Sons Inc. and

Christensen Architects for the faulty design, construction and

installation of gutters, stucco, windows, scuppers, cap flashing,

roofing, wall systems, flooring systems and structural components.

In their lawsuit, officials say the construction firms used

defective materials and performed the work negligently.

Cullen said it is the general contractor that has the ultimate

responsibility, but Tombleson is seeking restitution from at least

12 subcontractors hired to perform the work at La Joya.

" Tombleson will have the ultimate responsibility, but we're looking

to find out which subcontractor caused the problems, and then the

school district is compensated for damages (which are) collected

from subcontractors, " Cullen said.

Alisal officials withdrew a claim against Tombleson filed August

2006. They declined to comment on their pending lawsuit for work

done at Luther King, nor would they say if they have decided

to pursue further action against Tombleson for work at the rest of

the schools in the district. Zendejas referred questions to the

school district's attorney, who did not return calls seeking

comment.

Zendejas is traveling to Sacramento this week to lobby for $17

million in state funds that will go toward some of the repairs in

the schools. It's unclear how much it will cost to repair all the

mold and rot damage, but the district is intending to spend at least

$48 million to upgrade all the schools in the next few years.

In the meantime, work at Loya, Creekbridge and Cesar Chavez will

continue through the summer and perhaps a lot longer.

" There's not enough time in the summer; it's only nine weeks, "

Zendejas said. " It's critical that we fix a wing between now and

December, but the entire project is not going to end that quickly. "

Meléndez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or

cmelendez@....