Romeo Community Schools sued over clean-up

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Company sues schools over mold cleanup costs By:Chad Halcom, Macomb Daily Staff Writer January 26, 2002 Firm says Romeo owes $522,600. The litigation and quarreling is escalating another notch for Romeo Community Schools, in the black mold controversy at one of its primary school buildings. Statewide Disaster Restoration Inc., a remediation contracting firm hired to clean up mold and other contaminants at Washington Elementary School, now seeks $522,600 plus court costs and attorney fees, in a lawsuit filed against the district Friday. The dispute centers around a school cleanup contract, awarded in August and completed in October, that grew in scope and in price as it went along. "At no time did (the district) request that (the company) scale back the scope of its work or provide it with further cost estimates," court documents state. "Nevertheless (the district's) invoices ... remain unpaid despite the fact that it successfully concluded its remediation work." Washington Elementary reopened to students in grades 3-5 Tuesday, after months of closure to treat the mold problem. Officials and documents indicate Statewide began by quoting an estimate to the school board, but ended with a larger job and higher price tag. "The entire amount they invoiced to us is in great dispute," said tti, vice president of Romeo schools' Board of Education. "We feel we were overbilled. I'm just one board member, but as a board I don't think we plan to just go along with it." tti said the Statewide cleanup job grew in size, becoming more work and more money than the board ever approved. Attorney Frederick Elias of West Bloomfield, who represents the company in the case, could not be reached for comment. Workers uncovered toxic mold this summer during a routine job to replace ceiling tiles in the school. The board voted in August to close the school for cleanup purposes, and students were farmed out to other elementaries and a part of Romeo High School. Approximately 265 students returned to the school Tuesday. The cleanup will continue in classrooms for grades K-2, however, in the hopes that all students can return by late February. "I haven't yet seen a lawsuit," tti said. "But if and when we get one, I imagine we'll fight it the best that we can." District officials have already squabbled over the costs billed by Kalamazoo-based Wonder Makers Environmental Inc., which conducted environmental testing to find potential contamination and prompted the district to hire Statewide for the cleanup. District executive finance director Soma has warned Romeo Schools may face a $1.7 million budget deficit next school year, partly because of flat student enrollment and the mold cleanup costs. Romeo Community Schools is already facing lawsuits from parent Garth of Washington Township about the mold, and contractor Dennis Schutte sued for roughly $50,000, claiming the district never paid him for the tile replacement job which found the mold. "It is inequitable that (the district) should retain the benefit of the services provided by (Statewide) without paying," Statewide alleges in court. The case will go to Macomb County Circuit Judge Pat M. Donofrio. ©The Macomb Daily 2002 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=3097975 & BRD=988 & PAG=461 & dept_id=141265 & rfi=6